Unsung Icons of Liberation

Rediscovering the Ideals, Principles and Lessons of Liberation Theology through the Lives of Contemporary Exponents

Authors

  • Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/isit.20084

Keywords:

Liberation theology, theology, justice, peace, violence, poverty, prophetic witnessing, leadership, globalization, Dennis Mukwege, Wangari Maathai, Africa, African theology

Abstract

This essay explores the theological school and legacy of liberation theology through the exemplary witness and prophetic deeds of two African Nobel Laureates for Peace: Congolese doctor Dennis Mukwege and Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai. The author argues that, although neither leader possess academic theological credentials, their prophetic witness to truth and justice, in the context of sexual gender-based violence and environmental degradation, validates the ideals and principles of liberation theology and offers important lessons on the vocation of a theologian.

Author Biography

  • Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar

    Rev. Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, S.J., is a Jesuit from Nigeria. He received his PhD in theology and religious studies from the University of Leeds in England in 2004 and served as Provincial Superior of the Eastern Africa Province of the Society of Jesus (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan) from 2009 to 2014.

References

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Published

2021-07-22

Issue

Section

African Theologies: Methodological Considerations for a Growing Field

How to Cite

Orobator, A. E. . (2021). Unsung Icons of Liberation: Rediscovering the Ideals, Principles and Lessons of Liberation Theology through the Lives of Contemporary Exponents. Interreligious Studies and Intercultural Theology, 5(1-2), 73–85. https://doi.org/10.1558/isit.20084