The Summer Issue 58.3 of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies is now available. For each issue, the Diablogue features one author and makes available a full-text version of their article for 30 days on Project Muse. In this issue, we are featuring Effiong Joseph Udo's "A Reimagination of Dialogue and Democracy in Africa via an Afrocentric Reading of the Parable of the Sower (Lk. 8:4–8)." A full-text version of the article can be accessed HERE.

Effiong Joseph Udo, Ph.D., currently teaches New Testament Literature, Hermeneutics, and Dialogue at the Department of Religious and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Uyo, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. He is president of The Pan-African Dialogue Institute and director at the Centre for Deep Dialogue and Critical Thinking at the same University. His doctoral thesis on St Luke’s soteria (salvation) concept grounded his understanding of the ministry of Jesus as a spirit-filled campaign for prioritization of justice and human well-being in the society of his days. This inspired Dr. Udo’s research interests in biblical exegesis to promote social justice, human rights, peacebuilding, interfaith relations, as well as ecumenism.

He is an Ambassador for Peace of the Universal Peace Federation, New York, a member of Professors World Peace Academy, as well as a postdoctoral International dialogue fellow of King Abdullah Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), Vienna, Austria.

In two sentences, what is the argument of your J.E.S. article?

In the article, I attempted to show how a pan-Africanist reading of the Second Testament Parable of the Sower in Lk. 8:4–8 informs a reimagination of dialogue and democracy in Africa. The study suggests that dialogue and democracy—which are ethically guided by the principles of equality, tolerance, cooperation, participation, and inclusion—are, in practice, complementary and mutually reinforcing, and these widely embraced values are present in African social systems, such as the ethics of communalism and ubuntu.

Many observers have characterized democracy as a Western import to African societies, but you have shown that many values and practices in traditional African societies are deeply democratic. What can democracies in Europe and North America learn from democratic African societies?

Guided by the lived ethics of ubuntu and communalism, Africans are socially and culturally oriented in values toward relationships, friendship, hospitality, cooperation, and tolerance of ‘the other’. I recommend that sustained efforts must be made by all stakeholders to deepen the knowledge and practice of these values in order to strengthen democratic engagements in Africa, Europe, North America, and other democratic societies in the world.

How did you get interested in the topic?

The African Union 2063 Agenda track on peace and democracy motivated my research. I sought to understand the presence, nature, and effects of civil society organizations’ engagements with African states and people to promote peace, human rights, and democratic ideals in the continent. I hoped that the effort would help in widening the Dialogue Institute’s contributions to deepening democratic ideals of freedom through its scholarship in dialogue and training in religious pluralism and democracy around the world. Working with Dr. David Krueger as a dialogue consultant for Africa with the Dialogue Institute, I also thought the Institute would be enriched by the exchange of experiences and perspectives of Africa’s traditional, academic, political, and religious leaders, youth, women, professional groups, and institutions because their dialogue and peacebuilding engagements are directed toward the African Renaissance.

In a few sentences, can you describe how the articles in this issue of the JES connect to the vision for The Pan-African Dialogue Institute?

It is remarkable that the project also gave birth to The Pan-African Dialogue Institute. In the course of my travels, I was able to bring together colleagues, civic leaders, and professionals in various disciplines, as well as youth and women’s groups from a number of African countries; and together we created The Pan-African Dialogue Institute. One could learn more by visiting: www.africadialogue.org. So far, members of the new institute include people from 18 African countries, and this number is still growing. Some individuals who had been on the DI African contacts, including the Study of the U.S. Institute on Religious Pluralism alumni, have also joined the Institute. Part of the rationale for creating the Institute was to serve the DI Board with a central body to relate with whenever Africa is on the agenda.

I believe that the creation of The Pan-African Dialogue Institute represents a significant milestone for the DI under the leadership of Dr. Krueger as well as a lasting testimony of Prof. Leonard Swidler’s inspiration. It flows from Swidler’s mentorship and encouragement to Dr. Mutombo Nkulu-N’Sengha, founder of the DI-supported Bumuntu Peace Institute in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and my humble self of the University of Uyo in Nigeria to unite African scholars and professionals to embrace dialogue. This is why the Institute will remain in constant collaboration with the Dialogue Institute at Temple University. Created to foster multi-sectoral dialogue on issues in religion, culture, sciences, environment, law, economy, information, communications, technology, gender, and politics that promote democratic ideals and human rights in the Continent, and so on, the Institute is established as a civil society think tank. It seeks to unite African professionals and leaders to promote dialogue engagement that is rooted in Pan-Africanism and contribute to the building of policies and practices for the sustainable development of Africa. African professionals who are based in the continent and in the diaspora, from any field of life, as well as friends of Africa are welcome to join us; for dialogue is at its best in company, and not in isolation.