Dignity for all
People the world over want to feel that they can contribute to society. However, the dignity of many men, women and children is violated daily.
Such problems as poverty, disease and conflict make it hard for many people in Africa to stand tall. This is the issue that the Faculty of Theology is addressing through its initiative, “Focus on the Promotion of Human Dignity”.
“As Christians, we believe that all people are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27). That’s the source of human dignity in our understanding,” says Prof Julie Claassens, senior academic of the Faculty’s human dignity initiative.
“We are called to individually and collectively work for a more just and humane world in which it is not acceptable to diminish or degrade the worth of women, men and children, regardless of their race or sexual orientation."
Human dignity is reflected in the Faculty’s core activities, namely research, teaching, learning and community interaction.
“The research of one of our postgraduate students, Dr Rangarirai Rutoro of the Murray Theological School in Zimbabwe, led to women being allowed to serve as ministers in the congregation. The status of women in the entire community was elevated,” says Rev Liena Hoffman, manager of the Faculty’s human dignity initiative.
The Faculty’s Unit for Religion and Development Research (URDR) is also promoting human dignity by identifying the social development needs of communities in the Cape Peninsula and in this way empower faith-based organisations to alleviate poverty and meet people’s needs.
The Unit’s Siyazama Craft Project offers handicraft training to between 20 and 30 unemployed women from Kayamandi and equip them with entrepreneurial, leadership and communication skills. “Siyazama” is a Xhosa word that means “we are trying”.
Another structure within the Faculty that focuses on human dignity is the Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology. It was established to assist Christians to fulfil their responsibility in a democratic South Africa. It hosts discussions on related topics, and contributes to research and policy processes.
The Faculty co-operates with various partners to promote human dignity. This includes the Ecumenical Foundation of Southern Africa, the Protestant Theological University of the Netherlands and the Network for African Congregational Theology (NetACT), an association of eleven theological institutions in the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition in eight Sub-Saharan African countries.