DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE READING? The Bible in African homes, schools and churches

The article discusses the influence of the Bible in Africa, with special reference to homes, schools and churches. The author finds strong biblical influences in African literature, referring specifically to Ngugi wa Thiong'o. The Bible has deeply influenced many cultures and peoples in Africa. Bible reading in Africa can be called a mass movement The Bible functions in Africa also as a motivation for personal and national well-being, to the extent that it gave rise to creative approaches to reading and understanding the Bible. Mbiti concludes that Africa indeed understands what she is reading. The availability of the Bible or Bible portions in indigenous African languages, as well as in the dominant colonial languages, contributes to this. Specific factors, some unique to Africa, benefit a growing indigenous interpretation of the Bible. African biblical scholars, however, often still read and interpret the Bible through Western eyes. Mbiti calls for an exodus in Bible interpretation to take place in Africa.