Re-framing (South) African youth ministry: Cutting the colonial umbilical cord of Western Hegemony

Abstract

Youth ministry, as understood in an African context, is predominantly informed, and guided by a West/Euro philosophy and hegemony. African youth ministry, it seems, is struggling to break away from the hegemony of the developed world, one that is not always compatible or even deals with the developing world like Africa. There has been a renewed energy from the youths on the African continent calling for a decolonial conversation, which ideally, should also include theology and youth ministry. The #feesmustfall and #rhodesmustfall campaigns in South Africa have proven that youth in the developing world remains a dominant voice for justice and transformation in spheres controlled by the adult community, those who are traditionally in power, and who hold a philosophy that is often vastly different from the youths and the world that they inhabit. In a sense, one can argue that the actions in the calling for justice and transformation of the youth are indeed prophetic. This article will argue that the youth from emerging nations, such as Africa, has the agency to make a profound difference in (public) areas where there is injustice, thus offering a message of hope. This means of agency amongst the youth in the public domain is an expression of how youth ministry should not restrict itself to only the clerical and ecclesial domains but also ought to act in the public domain as public practical theology. Furthermore, this article will argue, as a public practical theology, that there is a need to build a theological theory, which is local and distinct from the West/Euro context to further the prophetic actions of the youth. The twofold aim of this article will be achieved through a theoretical approach with reflections on contemporary actions of, particularly South African youth.