RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND RELIGIOUS PLURALISM IN AFRICA, prospects and limitations

471pp., paperback, Stellenbosch, 2016

The proceedings of the third annual conference of the African Consortium for Law and Religion Studies, held in Windhoek, Namibia, in 2015.

Contributions include:

"Maintaining a delicate balance between religious freedom and duty to combat religion-based child marriages in Zimbabwe" by Tarisai Mutangi

"Religious observances in South African public schools" by Pieter Coertzen

"Transcending the public-private school divide in the context of the right to freedom of religion in South Africa" by Shaun de Freitas

"Avenging spirits and the vitality of African traditional law, customs and religion in contemporary Zimbabwe" by Fortune Sibanda

"South African customary law of succession in jeopardy" by Nokuzola Mudende

"Homosexuality and the churches: controversies and challenges" by Helena van Coller

"Law, religion and ecological issues: a theological approach" by Mmapula Diana Kebaneilwe.

"While the new atheism dominates public discourse in some sections of western societies, Africa shows a different social pattern of an increasing public role of religion, particularly in the political and economic spheres. There is a marked increase in the insertion and assertiveness of religion in public life in many African postcolonial states. A new class of religious elites has emerged, straddling the social and political domain and liaising with the political class in the provision of services that some social actors consider important in navigating the affairs of state. The activities of this class of political prophets point to the shaky foundations upon which the postcolonial state in Africa was founded and exists. The relationship between state and religion in Africa is complex." Asonzeh Ukah, Department of Religious Studies, University of Cape Town