20 Theological librarianship • Vol. 12, No. 1 april 2019

a part of a teaching curriculum in world Christianity. The exhibition was unique in the presentation of the African church story, but the materials were well selected in regard to themes that could be developed into specific courses. Apart from the African agency in the works of Simon Kimbangu and the Kimbanguist Church and Samuel Ajayi Crowther, among others, the display of cartoons revealed much about the way Christianity engages with society. Cartoons are a source of varied forms of information. As much as they are humourous, behind the humour there is a story of joy, pain, affirmation, but most importantly a story of protest. Through cartoons, issues of social justice can be brought to light and condemned. In a context of repression, people have to find another language to name evil, and cartoons, such as the ones on display, present an ideal medium. The Bible’s use of imagery provides the impetus for such use, especially in the context of political repression. In using cartoons, one invites discussion or dialogue abut difficult subjects, be they theological or cultural in any context. The exhibition highlights that cartoons provide another example of African agency in teaching theology or history, since cartoons reflect a particular context, and visitors can learn much about a particular historical context by studying the cartoons that were created in it.

The exhibition brought to the fore the themes of theological education and leadership of the churches in Africa. These issues are critical because theological education has a more direct bearing on Christian leadership than perhaps any other single factor. This is because the primary objective of theological institutions worldwide is seen as the equipping and training of church leaders. Theological education is not only significant in the mission-founded churches, but also in the African Instituted Churches, which the exhibition shows. The nature of theological education varies from denomination to denomination, but the role is the same. It is not just the nature of theological education that goes into the formation of leaders, but also the circumstances in which they work. The choices they make and the positions they hold are influenced by the questions they ask and the answers they offer. The practice of leadership contributes a lot to the ways of leadership.

The exhibition’s focus on leaders like Simon Kimbangu, Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Abel Muzorewa, and Daniel William Alexander, to name but a few, is confirmation that training occurs not only at the seminary, but also in the practice of ministry. A relevant theological education is one in which the learners are encouraged to ask questions and seek answers, rather than being given answers to questions that no one is asking. In addition, relevant theological education promotes the integration of contemporary issues into the study of theology and history. Contemporary issues are not static, because contexts and historical periods differ from one another. In today’s theological education in Africa, issues such as gender, HIV/AIDS, disability, human rights, climate change, and the role of the church in democratization cannot be left out of the curriculum. As noted above, leaders like Samuel Ajayi Crowther were educated in the West and in colonial languages, but they were able to translate and interpret theology into the language of the people. Academic theology in Africa is done in colonial languages in most parts, and in some cases curricula are still colonial where the story of African Christianity is not treated as part of world Christianity. As it is with early leaders of the church in Africa, the language of theology and the mission of the church must carry on an African hermeneutic. The exhibition, therefore, was a reflection of the challenges one faces when one has to teach world Christianity and African Christianities in particular. What sources and lenses does one employ?

FAITH SPREAD THOUGH THE HYMNS

The exhibition is unique in the way hymns from particular traditions are used. The hymns displayed include those that are translated from English into vernacular languages, though the translations may use the same tunes. There are also those that are a creation of Africans themselves, expressing the ways in which the people understand the message of God through the reading and interpretation of the Bible. Even before the missionaries arrived, singing played a large role in the people’s religious views. Through song and