1st Edition
Religion, Disability, and Sustainable Development in Africa
This book investigates the interplay between disability and religion in Africa, and what this means in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The importance of meeting the needs of people with disabilities is highlighted specifically in several Sustainable Development Goals, as well as being emphasised as a cross-cutting issue across all the goals. Over 1 billion people are estimated to be living with disabilities, and 80% of this population live in the Global South, many within Africa. This book argues that within this context, religion must be considered, as people with disabilities often turn to religion for solace in confronting the daily struggles and pains that they face. Drawing on multiple disciplinary lenses, this book reflects on how traditional/indigenous, Abrahamic, and other African minority religions and philosophies interact with disability, and how this relates to the Sustainable Development Goals. The book demonstrates how religions in Africa conceptualise, imagine, or re-imagine disability in the context of key themes such as gender, ecological justice, health, poverty, education, employment, entrepreneurship, and migration.
Overall, the book invites researchers from across the social sciences to consider how African religious, theological, and philosophical ideas can help towards the inclusion of people with disabilities in the 2030 development agenda in Africa.
1. Introduction: Religion, Disability and Sustainable Development in Africa
Chioma Ohajunwa, Kudakwashe ‘AK’ Dube and Ezra Chitando
SDGs, Disability and Religion In the context of Poverty and socio-cultural factors
2. Positive Perspectives on Disability in the Old Testament: Pathways to Breaking the Disability-Poverty Nexus and Leaving No-One Behind in Africa’s Quest to Achieve Sustainable Development
Makomborero Allen Bowa
3. Disentangling Disability in Africa: A Panoramic view from critical disability studies on Religion, Disability and Poverty in Africa
Loreen Maseno and Vugutsa Beatrice Lukalo
4. The African Network for Evidence-to-Action in Disability (AfriNEAD) on its quest to be a Regional Disability Network guided by African wisdom
Gubela Mji
5. Socio-Cultural Perspective on Disability as a Barrier to Sustainable Development in Africa
Beartrice Vugunsta and Loreen Maseno
SDGs, Disability and Religion in the context of health and wellbeing
6. Exploring the intersection of disability and religion in the context of Covid-19 and sustainable development in Africa
Swabra Nakawesa and Ephraim Lemmy Nuwagaba
7. Understanding Epilepsy in The Context of African Indigenous Religions
Mbelu Sifiso
8. Care Development: Botho Ethics, Ageing and Disability
Elizabeth P. Motswapong and Tshenolo J. Madigele
9. Sustainable Development Goal Achievements for People With Disabilities In Africa: Role Of Christian-Muslim Religions In Tanzania
Ronald Julius Mbao
SDGs, Disability and Religion in the context of the disciplines
10. An examination of the relationship between disability and the law and religion: The Zimbabwean Disability Practice
Joseph Muyangata
11. Eco-Justice and Disability Inclusion in Lusaka, Zambia: Towards an African Women’s Theology of Disability
Bridget Nonde Masaiti and Sophia Chirongoma
12. Religion, Disability and Education in Africa: Perspectives from Uganda
Pamela Nizeyimana, Ojok Patrick and Victor Locoro
13. The Interplay of South African Indigenous Religions, Disability and Sustainable Development Goals: Reconceptualizing Disability in Inclusive Education
Nwacoye Gladness Mpya
SDGs, Disability and Religion in the context of Gender
14. Disability, Gender-based violence and Development in Africa: The Case of Eswatini
Sonene Nyawo
15. Women with Disability’s Access to Sexual Reproductive Health and Well-being in Nairobi, Kenya: Towards a Theology of Belonging
Telesia K. Musili
16. Transformative Work of Pentecostal Groups in Addressing Gender-Based Violence against People Living with Disability in Nigeria
John Oluwajana
17. Obstetric Fistula - A disability that affects the health and well-being of women: Reflections from the Malawian Context
Mwawi N. Chilongozi
Biography
Dr Chioma Ohajunwa is Senior Lecturer at the Africa Centre for Inclusive Health Management, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, and also worked at the Division of Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, Global Health, Stellenbosch University. Her work is in the areas of disability, spirituality, Indigenous knowledge, wellbeing, decoloniality, and, more recently, how these inform an inclusive framework for health and wellbeing within the African context. She is published locally and internationally.
Kudakwashe ‘AK’ Dube is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Africa Disability Alliance and has over 30 years of experience designing, managing, evaluating, and monitoring development and disability programmes with international and grassroots movements. He is also chair of trustees of ADD International, which fights for independence, equality, and opportunities for disabled people living in poverty, alongside organisations of disabled people.
Ezra Chitando serves as Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Zimbabwe. He is also Extraordinary Professor, the Desmond Tutu Centre for Social Justice, University of the Western Cape, South Africa.
