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In this article we examine the notion of womanism as portrayed in the 2016 novel Crépuscule du tourment: Mélancolie (Twilight of Torment: Melancholy) by the Franco-Cameroonian author Léonora Miano . We explore how four female characters are subjected to discrimination on various levels: racial, sexist, and even linked to social divisions. We furthermore trace the religious, historical, cultural and sexual aspects of the identity crisis that each character undergoes. The tales by these four voices depicting their suffering and different defence strategies finally point to the womanism of the author herself which this article aims to discuss drawing on a range of definitions provided by scholars such as bell hooks, Molara Ogundipe-Leslie and Alice Walker. Our reading of the novel focusses on the mechanisms of resistance (exploration of homosexual relations, recourse to afrocentricity) deployed by these female characters in an environment where neither Western feminism nor activism seem to respond to the complexity of their alienation. Miano’s heroines attempt to reconstruct their identities in terms of culture, territory, the other and the “self”. Their revolt and courage to speak out constitute acts of self-determination. This emancipatory quest leads to a form of hybridity that embraces both modernity and traditional values, with its myths and customs, and which results in a reconstructed and plural identity. It also constitutes an approach by an African author that embraces both a return to the self and an openness to the outside world.

The concept of personal growth and development has been an ever-growing discipline in the last couple of decades, especially encapsulated by self-help constructs. The market for self-improvement literature, also known as self-help literature, is one of the fastest-growing fields over the last two decades. Spirituality has also become a prominent element in these popular self-help literatures. Interest in spirituality as a scholarly discipline, guided by academic disciplines, has grown in the last few decades, but so too has the interest in spirituality as a prominent component in popular texts such as self-help literature. Bible citations and concepts are frequently included in the theories on spirituality in these popular literature, but are not always interpreted within Christian constructs. The tendency to use Bible citations and concepts created the impression that spirituality in these self-help theories is a Christian precept. Spirituality, as a key factor in self-help literature, was examined in view of Christian Spirituality and biblical concepts. Transformation, experience, the body and the mind are central aspects of the spirituality advocated by these self-help literature. These central aspects were evaluated from a Pauline perspective and in view of Christian Spirituality with specific reference to Romans 8:1–30 and Romans 12:1–2. The specific reference to the Pauline corpus was motivated by the hypothesis that Christianity can historically claim intellectual property to the word spirituality, as the origins of the word can be attributed to Paul. Spirituality, in the quest for personal growth and development, implies the work of the Spirit in the life of the believer as a result of the Christ event. Christian Spirituality underlines the personal experience of the Spirit as evinced in the Pauline corpus. While spirituality is a scholarly discipline guided by academic disciplines, spirituality is also a key construct in popular self-help literature. The spirituality suggested in these self-help literature does not necessarily accord with biblical constructs. In Christian Spirituality, transformation is the consequence of the presence of the Spirit and not only by the mere implementation of so-called self-help methodologies or undefined spirituality. Contribution: This article will assist the Christian believer who, in the quest for personal growth and development, engages spirituality with a biblical construct from a Pauline perspective and understanding of the role and work of the Spirit. While being aware of the fact that spirituality cannot be defined in restrictive terms, this article will nevertheless present some understanding of Christian Spirituality and the necessity of the Spirit as it relates to personal growth and development.

Visible church unity, where believers from different theological traditions accept and regard one another as part of the invisible church, has always been a contentious issue. This article will address this issue by focusing specifically on the relationship between the Reformed and the Pentecostal tradition, being two of the major theological traditions, as it relates to contemporary Christianity and a post-Christian world. While attempting to create an awareness of the necessity that the Reformed and Pentecostal traditions need to re-evaluate their disposition towards one another, Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 4:1–6 is interpreted. The hypothesis of the article is that the Pentecostal and Reformed tradition should, without negating their respective theological traditions, consider Ephesians 4:1–6 as a possible measuring ethos in view of visible unity, to validate the witness of the church in a contemporary post-Christian world.

Various writers and survivors have offered literary responses to the genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda. In 1998, a group of African intellectuals, mostly non-Rwandans, of whom two were female authors, participated in a collective writing project, Rwanda: écrire par devoir de mémoire, tasked to tell the story of the genocide. Genocide survivor, sociologist and psychotherapist, Esther Mujawayo, has since narrated her own story. Although critics have explored the portrayal of trauma in literature in other texts and contexts, a comparative study between these three texts of female authors; one survivor and two intellectuals, focusing on the experience of female survivors and in particular that of being raped has not yet been conducted. This article examines how trauma is made visible to the reader by exploring the characteristics of the ‘death experience’ and their mediated form, as offered by the three authors. This comparative study furthermore highlights the elements in the lives of survivors which influence their ability to move from a position of mere survival to that of embracing life after the genocide.

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A theological-ethical judgement of retirement Although retirement is a relatively new phenomenon on the la- bour scene, it is a phenomenon that is generally accepted. Re- tirement is only possible when people live long enough to retire and when there is enough financial provision to live without hav- ing to work. Older-growing populations coupled with a shortage of finances has in recent times led to a re-evaluation of retire- ment. In this article, retirement is judged theological-ethically with the aim to give biblical guidance to different role players on what their attitude toward retirement should be. Firstly, the historical development of retirement is explored after which the reasons why people retire are discussed. This is fol- lowed by an exploration of biblical principles regarding work and retirement. The most important principle is that God has created man as an ever-working being. The reasons why people retire are judged in the light of the set principles. The fall of man and the resulting consequences offer numerous reasons why peo- ple have to retire. The point of reference, however, should al- ways be that man should work as long as his abilities allow him to.

A discourse on eschatology and promissiotherapy with women after the loss of a husband The central metaphor “discourse” is used in this research because it links with the narrative approach. This discourse is founded in practical theology and researched from postmodernity as paradigm and social constructionism as epistemological point of departure. The research is placed within the narrative hermeneutic approach and principles underlying participatory action research, as part of qualitative research methodology,are portrayed. The discourse is informed by using mechanisms of the narrative approach. Women, affected by the loss of a husband, constructed their stories during the pastoral therapeutic dialogue and their discourses on heaven are portrayed in verbatim conversations. The prospect of eschatology and promissiotherapy, to understand and interpret the experience of mourning and to facilitate hope and consolation, is explored.The concept eschatology emphasises the Christian aspect and deals with the actual and not just the ultimate. Promissiotherapy deals with the promises that are concerned with the beginning and the end or, in other words, the eschatology. The prospect of eschatology and promissiotherapy, to understand and interpret the experience of mourning and to facilitate hope and consolation, is explored. In this discussion the women’s portrayal of life hereafter and the role it can play to offer hope and consolation are illustrated.

A theological-ethical judgement of illegal immigration The immigration of people is a growing global phenomenon. People immigrate to South Africa mainly for economic purposes. Not all immigrants are,however, legally in the country. It is not certain how many illegal immigrants are in the country. The South African government does not have a clear, effective policy on how to solve the problem of illegal immigration. In this article the influence of illegal immigration on the South African labour sphereis analysed. The aim of the article is to give guidance from the Bible to role players on how their disposition should be concerning the problem of illegal immigrant workers. In the article the extent and causes of illegal immigration are investigated. Thisis followed byprobing into the effects of illegal immigration on the South African labour sphere and the action taken by the authorities to solve the problem. The influence of illegal immigration on labour in South Africa is judged according to biblical principals. In the assess-ment guidance is given as to what the disposition of different role players should be concerning the set problem.

A theological-ethical judgment of unemployment One of the biggest labour problems in South Africa is unem- ployment. In this article unemployment is studied in the light of Biblical utterances on labour. The aim of this study is to give guidance from the Bible to role players on how their disposition should be concerning unemployment. In the article the extent of unemployment is investigated. This is followed by probing into different factors influencing unemployment since 1994. After that Biblical principles relevant to the topic are outlined. Finally unemployment in South Africa is judged according to Biblical principles. In the assessment guidance is given as to what the disposition of different role players should be concerning unemployment.

A theological-ethical judgement of child labour in South Africa Throughout the world child labour is a problem which has been under especially close scrutiny for the past three decades. Although child labour is not such a serious problem in South Africa as is the case in some other countries, unacceptable forms of child labour also occur here. Socio-economic circum- stances force most child labourers to work in order to survive. The result is that these children are deprived of a good edu- cation and training in order to occupy positions as adults in order to earn a living wage. In this article child labour is judged as it occurs in South Africa. Child labour is judged in the light of theological-ethical utteran- ces on children as well as on labour. Although the demand to labour is universal (and thus also applies to children), it is obvious that they cannot labour in the same way as adults. Children should rather be educated and equipped to develop their abilities in order to utilise it to the maximum as adult workers.

A theological ethical judgment of affirmative action In the period directly before and after 1994 much consideration was given to the position of the South African labour market. It was clear that some form of affirmative action had to be instituted. In this article different ways in which affirmative action has been applied since 1994 are studied, as well as the effects thereof. Affirmative action has made it possible for many workers to occupy positions that they otherwise would not have received. Other workers have been negatively affected by affirmative action. How should this be judged? In this article a number of Biblical principles regarding labour are posed. The current application of affirmative action is judged against these principles.

This article is reading ubuntu in the light of homelessness in the cities and towns of South Africa. It suggests that ubuntu itself is homeless and displaced as a way of being human together. Instead of the mediation of dignity and justice through an ubuntu-solidarity, street homeless people and others living vulnerably and in precarious circumstances are violated and excluded through a displacement of ubuntu-values. It also suggests a growing disconnect between the philosophy of ubuntu and its actual embodiment in the local urban political economy, local faith communities and local universities. Acknowledging the aspirational edge of ubuntu, the article then concludes to envision going beyond mere abstractions in the said spheres � the political economy, faith communities and local universities � in order to seek for concrete expressions of ubuntu-solidarity, asserting and mediating respect, dignity and justice.

In the face of collective trauma such as genocide, apartheid, mass killings and xenophobia,ubuntu requires of us to show solidarity with our fellow human beings. To my mind, one of the highest forms of doing so is to open up spaces of authentic listening to the stories of those who have experienced these atrocities. In the genocide narratives of the commemorative project Rwanda: �crire par devoir de m�moire (Rwanda: Writing as a duty to memory), travelling and writing become a mode of listening and transformation. However, this theme is articulated very differently in the many texts which form part of the project. This article concentrates on one such representation of the transformative voyage that the writers propose, namely the highly symbolic work of Koulsy Lamko.

This article was an attempt to (re-)read Psalms in the context of fractured cities, marked by socio-economic inequalities, woundedness, migration and exclusion. It explored urban motifs in selected psalms and considered their possible meanings in relation to both the socio-cultural contexts in which they were written but also how they could be read and understood today. It proposed the Psalms as urban poetry, and considered poems of praise, lament and resistance. It brought the Psalms into conversation both with �remixed� psalms and also with other urban poems. A �remix� is a technical term usually associated with altering, adding or changing songs or music into a new version more appropriate or suitable for a new context. It is essentially a genre that emerged from within urban popular culture. Finally, I suggested that an understanding of the Psalms as urban poetry of praise, lament and resistance, in conversation with other urban poems, can serve as a resource to unshackle our faith from the temple, from one city, or from human institutions, evoking a daring new imagination for a new people, new city and new creation.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article explores contextual readings of the Psalms as urban poetry, and retrieves other urban poems from different genres, both in order to inform urban theological discourse and contextual theological reflections on the fractured city.

This article considers the topical issue of social cohesion. It seeks to demythologise the issuebringing it into critical conversation with eight related categories. It proposes that a vision ofa socially cohesive society should employ all eight categories as parallel and complementarystrategies. Secondly, it proposes a practical theological vision of social cohesion that will notonly embrace these eight categories but will root itself in a spirituality of the table, informedby a vision of the oikos of God, seeking shalom in the oikos and doing so through four strategicmoments of engagement.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article indicates that socialcohesion requires an integrated approach of different strategies, not competing butcomplementing each other. Social cohesion requires interdisciplinary, intradisciplinary andtransdisciplinary research and action. For example, exploring ways in which land redistributioninhibits or contributes to social cohesion requires multiple stakeholders and disciplinesdiscerning together. The proposed practical theological vision implies new categories to beincluded in curricula and practical theological discourse for it to contribute meaningfully notonly to the current debate but also to practices fostering a socially cohesive society.

An investigation into the use of music as a part of pastoral counselling of the adolescent. Pastoral counselling of the adolescent could be a challenge, because adolescence is a period characterised by emotional fluctuation. During this period of the individual�s life, he or she begins to form his or her own identity and searches for a place in society, apart from the protection of their parents. Adolescents often do not have the necessary skills to deal with repressed emotions. Research shows that music has been used for many centuries in the healing process and that it has had a great influence on the psyche of human beings. For this reason, music can play an effective role in counselling adolescents. Music therapy involves the structural use of music and/or musical elements like rhythm, melody and harmony.

This essay is reflecting on frailty, the university and the city, in relation to each other. It seeks to transcend the binary concepts of presence and absence, proposing remembrance as the frail work of making absence present, of reweaving what is dismembered, and of a politics of hospitality. It considers the task of remembrance in the �studio of life�, disrupting or transcending the confines of laboratory and asylum.