29/01/2015
The College of the Transfiguration, Grahamstown
A provincial centre for the training of Anglican clergy
CONTEXTUAL THEOLOGY PROGRAMME
20TH AUGUST – 6TH SEPTEMBER, 2015
THEME: HOPE AND RECONCILIATION?
The Christian Church has been a powerful force in Southern African for many centuries. Although, by her own admission, the Church has not always been faithful to her Gospel calling; nevertheless, her role in facilitating change and her efforts to reconcile divided communities in South Africa continue.
The 2015 Contextual Theology Programme of the College of the Transfiguration offers students an extensive and in-depth examination and experience of various contextual endeavours to forge reconciliation and a hopeful future from the deep division, despair, and often violent conflict of South Africa’s recent past.
The 2015 Contextual Theology Programme enables students to visit sites of terror and of hope, to learn about South Africa’s divisive past, and to participate in, and to contribute to, the practice of Contextual Theology.
From a tour of the early mission stations in the Eastern Cape to discussions and dialogue with leaders of established projects of reconciliation, as well as engagement and interaction with members of the communities in Oudtshoorn and Worcester, students will be informed of the difficult transition from “colonial church” to “indigenous church”, and of the continual challenges involved in the efforts to reconcile South Africans. They will hear of the fears, dashed promises, and setbacks of many Good Fridays, as well as the glimmers of light and increasing hope of the Easter dawn of the Resurrection, which is evident in the ongoing work of transforming a nation from a racial oligarchy to a democracy.
Students will be encouraged to discuss and dialogue with the faculty lecturers and facilitators of the Programme, and to engage with the members of the communities that they will visit. Many of the “live stories” will tell of the determined efforts of those who, although many remain deeply scarred, nevertheless continue to seek reconciliation and unity.
PROGRAMME:
20 AUGUST: Arrival College of the Transfiguration, Grahamstown
21 - 23 AUGUST: Tour of Eastern Cape Mission sites
Led by Revd Canon Professor N Barney Pityana
Includes visits to Bethelsdorp, Salem, Bathurst, Ayliff in Peddie, Healdtown, Lovedale, the Steve Biko Centre, and Whittlesea
24 - 28 AUGUST: Academic programme
An introduction to the theories of restitution, reconciliation, and community development
The South African socio-political, economic, and theological history and context
• Revd Canon Dr Sarah Hills, Canon for Reconciliation, Cathedral of St Michael, Coventry
• The Revd Dr Deon Snyman of the Uniting Reformed Church and Chief Operating Officer of the Restitution Foundation
• Mrs Di Oliver, social worker, community activist
• Revd Canon Professor N Barney Pityana, former head of the Human Rights’ Commission and principle of the University of South Africa
• Faculty of the College of the Transfiguration
29 AUGUST: Depart for Oudtshoorn
Hosts: Bishop Francisco de Gouveia of the Catholic Diocese of Oudtshoorn and members of local Anglican parishes
Evening discussion session
• With past members of Saamstaan Community Organization and Newspaper
• Facilitated by Mr Harry Noemdoe, past resident of Oudtshoorn and High School teacher
30 AUGUST: Attend 9am Mass at St Saviour’s Cathedral, Oudtshoorn.
30 AUGUST: Depart for Worcester
31 AUGUST: Introduction to Worcester
• Three perspectives of the Worcester History (perspectives from the white, brown and black African communities) (Mr Frank van Zyl; Ms Linda Sibeko and Mr Juan Kariem)
• An introduction to the socio-economic current realities in Worcester (Deon Snyman)
• Tour of the historical sites in Worcester (Worcester Square & Zwelethemba)
• Conversation with Prof Pamela Reynolds on her book “War in Worcester: Youth and the Apartheid State”
• Conversation with Deon Snyman on his research on the theme “requirements for sustainable peace in Worcester”
• Panel discussion on Welfare, Development, Justice, Reconciliation and Restitution (Prof Lionel Louw; Dirk Marais, Dr Wilhelm Verwoerd and Prof Sharlene Swartz)
1 SEPTEMBER: The metaphor of the 1996 Christmas Eve Worcester bombing as a catalytic tool to facilitate restitution and reconciliation in Worcester
• Conversation with survivors of the bombing on how the incident affected their lives
• Conversation with Khulumani members (Mr Harris Sibeko, Ms Olga Macingwane, Ms Nobanzi Ndamoye) about their Nov 2009 meeting with one of the perpetrators of the bombing (Mr Stefaans Coetzee) in a Pretoria Prison
• IJR video – meeting between Ms Olga Macingwane (winner of the 2012 IJR Reconciliation Award) and Mr Stefaans Coetzee
• Video: Worcester Peace Train to Pretoria
• Conversation with survivors of the Worcester bombing about their interaction with Mr Stefaans Coetzee
2 SEPTEMBER: Trauma recovery after a prolonged period of colonial and apartheid human rights abuse
• Video: Between Joyce and remembrance (Mark Kaplan)
• Conversation with Di Oliver on the effects of trauma on the life of SIKHUMBUZO MTIMKULU
• Conversation with Deon Snyman on the 1996 Worcester bombers and the re-enactment of the unresolved collective generational trauma
• How do we recover from trauma and how do we prevent the re-enactment of trauma? (Ms Sarah Crawford-Browne)
• Towards healing the wounds of the past: A case study of the Kleinschmidt family (Mr Horst Kleinschmidt)
3 SEPTEMBER: Worcester Hope and Reconciliation Process (WHRP) and community-led restitution in Worcester
• Historical background of the WHRP (Deon Snyman)
• Panel discussion: Reconciliation Activities of the WHRP (2010 – 2015) (Mr Juan Kariem; Ds Jan Ungerer; Ms Nobanzi Ndamoye; Ds Fanie Engelbrecht)
• The Carnegie 3 Conference on Poverty and the WHRP (Prof Francis Wilson)
• Panel discussion: WHRP and the community roll-out of the NDP as a restitution intervention (Ms Sheraz Rayban; Ds Hans Steyn; Mr Siphiwo Mavumengwana)
• Public Dialogue: Guidelines for a “living” theology for Worcester (Dean Michael Weeder - Dean of St George’s Cathedral and former Anglican Rector in Montague, Ashton and Zwelethemba; The Revd Victor Adams - Rector Anglican Church in Worcester; The Revd Dr Peter Grassow - Methodist minister in Zwelethemba during 1980s, now Chaplain to the Seth Mokitini Theological Seminary, Pietermaritzburg; The Revd Peter-John Pearson, Vicar-General of the Catholic Diocese of Cape Town and Director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office)
If you could send a corrected version as an attachment to me immediately, then I would be able to forward it to one interested party today, and, possibly, you could do the same, even before it appears on the Cott Site on Monday.
4 SEPTEMBER: Reflection on Worcester experience
• Students in conversation with members of the WHRP on their reflections on their visit to Worcester
• Students write a personal reflection of their experience of visiting Worcester
• Task: Students develop guidelines for a relevant theology for Worcester
5 SEPTEMBER: Travel to Cape Town
• Guided tour of the District Six Museum – facilitated by Ms Bonita Weeder, Museum Director
6 SEPTEMBER: Attend 9.30am Eucharist at St George’s Cathedral, Cape Town
WEB-SITES WITH INFORMATION RELATING TO PARTICIPANTS AND PROJECTS:
1. Coventry Cathedral: www.coventrycathedral.org.uk & www.crossofnails.org.uk
2. Steve Biko Foundation: www.sbf.org.za
3. Restitution Foundation: www.restitution.org.za
4. St George’s Cathedral: www.stgeorgescathedral.co.za
5. Saamstaan: www.uniteddemocraticfront.co.za
6. The Black Sash: www.blacksash.org.za
7. WHRP – Worcester Hope and Reconciliation Project: see www.restitution.org.za
8. Khulumani Support Group: www.khulumanisupportgroup.net
9. District Six Museum: www.districtsix.co.za
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND APPLICATION DETAILS:
The 2015 Contextual Theology Programme is limited to twelve students.
The cost of the Programme includes full tuition, transportation to all locations, accommodation, and all meals for the duration of the Programme.
ARRIVAL: Students are to arrange their own transportation either to the College – if the students are arriving by bus or motor vehicle – or to Port Elizabeth Airport, from where they will be transported to Grahamstown.
Arrival flight information is to be provided to the College as soon as the students have made their bookings.
Students are to arrive by 4pm on Thursday, 20th August, 2015
DEPARTURE: Students are to arrange their own departure from St George’s Cathedral, Cape Town, following the Eucharist on Sunday, 6th September, 2015.
Students departing by bus will be transported to the Bus Station in central Cape Town, from which busses depart to all parts of Southern Africa.
Students departing by aeroplane will be transported to Cape Town International Airport.
COST: The cost of the Programme, which excludes transportation to Grahamstown and from Cape Town, is £1500 British Pounds,€ 2100 Euros, or $2300 United States Dollars.
Owing to the institutional subsidization of South African students, these students are to submit an application as below, and further information in this regard will be sent to them and to their institutions.
ALL STUDENTS: Please submit an application with the following details to Ms Andiswa Mata at e-mail: [email protected]
NAME:
HOME ADDRESS:
e-mail:
mobile telephone number:
INSTITUTION:
INSTITUTIONAL ADDRESS:
CONTACT PERSON AT INSTITUTION:
e-mail:
mobile telephone number:
Upon receiving provisional confirmation of your participation, final confirmation of your participation will be communicated to you upon the receipt of full payment into the following bank account:
ACCOUNT NAME: COLLEGE OF THE TRANSFIGURATION
BANK: STANDARD BANK
BRANCH NAME: GRAHAMSTOWN
BRANCH CODE: 50917
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 082 0353 18
SWIFT CODE: SB ZAZA JJ
NOTE: In the DEPOSIT REFERENCE AREA state the following:
Your SURNAME followed by the letters CTP.
P.O.Box 77 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
Phone: +27 46 622 3332
Fax: +27 46 622 3877
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.cott.co.za
Registered as a Non Profit Company (NPC) in terms of the Companies Act 2008, Registration No 2006/00000074/08.
Provisionally registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training until 31 December 2016 as a private higher education institute under the Higher Education Act 1997, Registration Certificate No: 2013/HE08/002
Coventry Cathedral, a place of Christian worship for over 1,000 years. Because of our history we believe we have a special responsibility to take the message of reconciliation across the world.
