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| Title: | The Roman Catholic Church and the Kurova Guva Ritual in Zimbabwe |
| Author: | Gundani, P. |
| Year: | 1994 |
| Periodical: | Zambezia |
| Volume: | 21 |
| Issue: | 2 |
| Pages: | 123-146 |
| Language: | English |
| Notes: | biblio. refs. |
| Geographic terms: | Zimbabwe Southern Africa |
| Subjects: | Catholic Church ancestor worship Shona Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Religion and Witchcraft religion Traditional culture Liturgies |
| External link: | https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/AJA03790622_119 |
| Abstract: | The ritual integration of the deceased's spirit as an ancestor to the family ('kurova guva') is viewed as one of the biggest doctrinal problems that the Roman Catholic Church in Zimbabwe ever faced. However, the ultimate acceptance of the 'kurova guva' ritual as an approved liturgical practice in the Church, has become a much bigger doctrinal and liturgical success than most other adaptations. This paper investigates the factors that favoured or inhibited the process of change which finally resulted in the adoption of the rite, which was then referred to as 'kuchenura munhu' (purification of the ancestor), as an official Catholic rite in 1982. The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) provided a major impetus for the Shona Catholics' desire to adjust ritual and liturgy to closer conformity with African religious custom. The political situation in the country also became a factor to reckon with as the vigorous expression of nationalism in the 1960s charged the churches with complicity in colonialism and the neglect of African values. A radicalized lay movement, the Catholic Association, and some culture-conscious indigenous clergy responded positively and started to fan the demands for change in the Church in the 1970s, which led to the adoption of a Christianized version of 'kurova guva'. Notes, ref. (Slightly revised version in: Rites of passage in contemporary Africa: interaction between Christian and African traditional religions / ed. by James L. Cox, Cardiff, 1998, p. 198-223.) |
