Memories of Midwives

Abstract

The invitation to respond to Kenneth Ngwa's stimulating paper, which sought to develop a postwar African hermeneutic that both deals with a trauma and forges a new collective, intergenerational, and interregional identity provided me with a good opportunity to think through some of hermeneutical and identity issues that have accompanied my own scholarly and personal journey from (South) Africa to United States and back again.I will do so through interconnected points of entry: first, by referring in first instance to Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians,1 who have done important work in thinking through some of key issues in African biblical interpretation, and, second, by drawing on narrative just prior to Exod 2, which is focus text of Ngwa's paper, that is, story of midwives in Exod 1:15-22, who together with Egyptian princess (Exod 2:5-10) exemplify themes of compassion, resistance, and hospitality highlighted in Ngwa's exposition.2The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, whose work is epitomized in its founding mother and most prolific author, Mercy Amba Oduyoye, can aptly be described in terms of metaphor of a midwife. In acknowledgments to her book Hope Abundant, Kwok Pui-lan dedicates book to Virginia Fabella and Mercy Amba Oduyoye, whom she calls two pioneers who have been midwives for development of Third World women's theology.3 Indeed, at heart of Circle's life and work is notion of enabling, fostering, and making it possible for African to write, allowing their voices to be heard in theological literature that may serve their churches and universities as well as enrich global conversation.4 As Circle's 2007 draft constitution captures this main objective:The Circle seeks to build capacity of African to contribute their critical thinking and analysis to advance current knowledge using a theoretical framework based on theology, religion and culture. It empowers African to actively work for social justice in their communities and reflect on their actions in their publications.5Even though many of Circle members are not biblical scholars per se, quite a few of them have written on story of midwives in Exodus 1. Mercy Oduyoye therefore is drawn to prime example of resistance exemplified in midwives. Together with Egyptian princess, who did exactly opposite of what her father had decreed, she interprets midwives as women who refused to be coopted by oppressor. As she describes these women's actions, They must have been both compassionate and competent and were obviously full of wisdom.6With of these midwives in mind, both those in biblical text and those Circle who engendered theological publications on African continent, I would like to respond to aspects of Ngwa's article.First, Ngwa offers a nuanced exposition of nature of identity formation in his African context of Cameroon as well as in biblical narrative of Exodus 2, which he structures around multiple consciousnesses and varied memories that accompany a movement from trauma to forging of a new identity that extends even into Gershom, which Ngwa describes as the narrative trope and communal embodiment that transforms traumas of alienation to hopes of survival and integration (p. 875).The theme of identity is indeed important for African biblical scholars such as ones also contributing to this Forum. It is interesting, therefore, that author of lead paper (Kenneth Ngwa) and one of respondents (Aliou C. Niang) come from ranks of many African biblical interpreters who were trained and now teach at universities in United States and so find themselves, to some extent, in diaspora. I can see how idea of intergenerational and especially interregional identity formation would be important for Africans who need to reconstitute their identity while living far away from African soil. …