The African woman as an agent of evangelization

In his Apostolic Letter on the Dignity and Vocation of Women in the Church, Mulieris Dignitatem, Pope John Paul II described the dignity and the vocation of women as one of the “signs of the time” today. Women’s issues, particularly with regard to their equality with men, their human dignity and their possible empowerment in the Church have recently become issues of great concern and have gained a lot of prominence all over the world. My doctoral dissertation entitled “The African Woman as an Agent of Evangelization: Her Role and Function in the Mission Activity of the Church in Africa” understands itself as a humble contribution to these issues. The thesis behind this doctoral project is that women in Africa are not only passive recipients of the Gospel message preached to them but at the same time active agents in the proclamation and spreading of this message. It is not an exaggeration to affirm that women in Africa form the cornerstones of the Church and society. Whether single, married or religious, women have formed, as they still form, the heart of the Church community. At some point they became, and still are, protagonists and key actors in the evolution, plantation, development and growth of Christianity in Africa. In society as well, women have been at the forefront in spearheading change in society and heralding the Gospel message on African soil. It is the objective of this doctoral dissertation, therefore, to attempt to make a review of the Church in Africa in terms of her evangelization efforts and the role of women as agents of this evangelization. The research will try to elucidate the situation of the African woman, her role and function as an actor in the missionary drama of God through the Church. The task and intention of the work is to explore the role and the function women play and continue to play in the life of the Church in Africa and in society at large.