{"id":5035,"date":"2018-05-01T08:00:39","date_gmt":"2018-05-01T00:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=5035"},"modified":"2021-10-18T15:39:56","modified_gmt":"2021-10-18T07:39:56","slug":"199-la-femme-profanee-abused-woman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=5035","title":{"rendered":"199.  La femme profan\u00e9e (Abused Woman)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><sup> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Ll<\/em>12<\/span>\u00a0<\/sup>For he delivers the needy when they call,<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> <span style=\"color: #008080;\"> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the poor and those who have no helper.<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> <span style=\"color: #008080;\"> <sup>13\u00a0<\/sup>He has pity on the weak and the needy,<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> <span style=\"color: #008080;\"> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and saves the lives of the needy.<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> <span style=\"color: #008080;\"> <sup>14\u00a0<\/sup>From oppression and violence he redeems their life;<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> <span style=\"color: #008080;\"> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and precious is their blood in his sight<\/span>.<\/strong> [<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Psalm 72:12-14<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>NRSV<\/em>]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/image001.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-5040\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/image001-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> La femme profan\u00e9e<\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. Photo by Rebecca Camp, August 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In a vast continent extensively troubled by endless cycles of violence, war, poverty and displacement as Africa is, theologians of African origin are deeply aware of the urgency to provide narratives of hope in their work of interruption. Emmanuel Katongole, a professor of theology and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, brings an innovative theological voice to this urgent task in his new book, <strong><em>Born from Lament: The Theology and Politics of Hope in Africa<\/em><\/strong> [Grand Rapids, MIC: Eerdmans, 2017].<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The book\u2019s dust jacket notes: \u201c<strong>In the midst of suffering, Katongole says, hope takes the form of \u2018arguing\u2019 and \u2018wrestling\u2019 with God. Such <em>lament<\/em> is not merely a cry of pain \u2013 it is a way of mourning, protesting, and appealing to God. As he unpacks the rich theological and social dimensions of practice of lament in Africa, Katongole tells the stories of courageous Christian activists working for change in East Africa and invites readers to enter into lament along with them<\/strong>.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In this exciting and captivating book, the author compels us to imagine what it really takes to make and to keep human life <em>human<\/em> in a world of senseless cycles of violence. To speak of hope in a situation of hopelessness is as necessary as to speak of light in a world shrouded in darkness. This necessity is messianic. But in messianic work, where Christians speak of a \u201cdivine necessity\u201d &#8211; of God\u2019s initiative in works of salvation \u2013 <em>human<\/em> cooperation is an essential key. No doubt, salvation comes from God, and is an initiative and a gift from God; <em>but<\/em>, there is no salvation on earth without <em>human<\/em> contribution, in free and willing participation. Moses\u2019 grudging \u201cyes\u201d to the God who heard His people\u2019s cry and decided to send him to Egypt to liberate them, and Mary\u2019s final <em>fiat<\/em> at the Annunciation to God\u2019s invitation for human collaboration in the task of birthing God\u2019s Son for human salvation, are stories told for our reminder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">That is why in that section of Christological studies called soteriology, the fact of Jesus of Nazareth being <em>truly<\/em> <em>human<\/em> is of immense importance in demonstrating to sinning humanity that the evangelical values of which he preached and lived from one mountain (the Sermon on the Mount) to the other mountain (his crucifixion on Calvary) are humanly achievable. Jesus\u2019 exhortation on the eve of his suffering death to \u201cdo this in memory of me\u201d &#8211; to shed blood and to have one\u2019s body broken to be shared \u2013 is blueprint for authentic Christian discipleship. Authenticity, in this regard, denotes <em>freedom<\/em> (to live to the full our identity as children of God) on the one hand, and <em>co<\/em>&#8211;<em>humanity<\/em> (to be in solidarity with the rest of humanity, especially the Poor) on the other hand. This is humanism with strong Christian undergirding.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A Ugandan Catholic priest, Katongole knows that he must go beyond humanistic messianism to messianic humanism. He knows that <em>human<\/em> collaboration towards a solution in areas of contagious conflicts and violence is indispensable and yet, neither does he start with the human person, nor does he stand or fall with the transcending powers of mere humans. Solidly grounded in the Judeo-Christian historical experience, he steadfastly holds on to the belief, and indeed the hope beyond hope, in the <em>humanizing<\/em> determination of the Transcendent. So Katongole stresses the <em>necessary<\/em> art and the <em>practice<\/em> of Christian <em>lamentation<\/em>. \u00a0Dare we say that he has no choice but to do a theology that is born out of a <em>Christian<\/em> historical experience of liberation, justice and peace, in spite of the apparent and repeated collapse of all human resources applied towards liberation, justice and peace. He cannot but insist on hope; so he can do no other than energetically encourage the practice of lamentation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Lamentation is not confined to music and poetry. In the section titled <em>La<\/em> <em>femme<\/em> <em>profan\u00e9e<\/em> (\u201cAbused Woman\u201d), Katongole draws attention to a powerful piece of art \u2013 a statue by that name sculptured by Eugene Sangymbo of Congo. He explains the powerful symbols.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The woman is naked, which reflects her vulnerability, and is painted white, a reflection of her innocence. Black military boots step on her breasts, arms and legs, representing the brute force of militarized violence. But the boots are empty, signifying the anonymous yet ubiquitous violence of the rebels and other armed gangs. The boots are also torn (with gaping holes where the toes are visible), which, according to Sanyambo, reflects that even the people who perpetrate violence on others are themselves victims. The image of the torn boot is thus a metaphor for the paradoxical \u201cstrong-weak,\u201d \u201cvictim-perpetrator\u201d identity of the child soldiers\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The position of the woman is also highly symbolic. She is half sitting, half lying down, reflecting the strange \u201cgraveyard\u201d existence of the \u201cliving dead.\u201d The boots hold her feet, arms and chest down, and thus make it impossible for her to breathe, to sit upright, or to stand up. The boot on her breasts not only humiliates her; it also destroys her potential for nurturing care and her identity as \u201cmother.\u201d She will never be able to feed her children.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On the most basic level, <em>La<\/em> <em>femme<\/em> <em>profan\u00e9e<\/em> is a lament for the many raped girls and women during the Congo Wars. On a broader level, the woman (weak, exposed) represents all Congolese children, women, and men \u2013 all the victims of brutality and violence. On yet another level, <em>La<\/em> <em>femme<\/em> <em>profan\u00e9e<\/em> is the Congo itself. It is significant that the base on which the sculpture rests is the map of Congo, for it is the Congo, Mother Congo, who has been violated, raped, and brutalized through the endless cycles of war.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Another very powerful symbol is the lamb in the background. According to Sanyambo, \u201cthe sheep represents the symbol of Christ. The woman is leaning on Christ, who remains her last refuge. There is no solution for this woman except to take refuge in Jesus, which is our belief as Christians.\u201d Therefore, the presence of the lamb provides a Christian interpretative framework, and actually makes the sculpture a kind of <em>Piet\u00e0<\/em>. For, whereas the mother holds her lifeless son in Michelangelo\u2019s <em>Piet\u00e0<\/em>, here it is the lamb (son) who holds the lifeless mother!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We are reading, savouring, and constantly revisiting Katongole\u2019s powerful book.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Copyright \u00a9 Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh, May 2018. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You are most welcome to respond to this post. Email your comments to <strong><u><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"mailto:jeffangiegoh@gmail.com\">jeffangiegoh@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/u><\/strong> You can also be dialogue partners in this <em>Ephphatha Coffee-Corner Ministry<\/em> by sending us questions for discussion.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ll12\u00a0For he delivers the needy when they call, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the poor and those who have no helper. 13\u00a0He has pity on the weak and the needy, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and saves the lives of the needy. 14\u00a0From oppression and violence he redeems their life; \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and precious is their blood in his sight. [Psalm 72:12-14, NRSV] \u00a0 La femme profan\u00e9e. <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=5035\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh","author_link":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?author=1"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?cat=1\" rel=\"category\">From Our Perspective<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Ll12\u00a0For he delivers the needy when they call, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the poor and those who have no helper. 13\u00a0He has pity on the weak and the needy, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and saves the lives of the needy. 14\u00a0From oppression and violence he redeems their life; \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and precious is their blood in his sight. [Psalm 72:12-14, NRSV] \u00a0 La femme profan\u00e9e.&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5035"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5035"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6741,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5035\/revisions\/6741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}