Exegetical Study Of Matt 18,20 And Application To African Ujamaa Aspirations: A Re-Enactment Of Igbo Communalism

Individualism is scarcely a welcome concept in African life. Communal spirit is generally the order.
No one is alone. The average African is convinced that alone can one achieve little or nothing. The
Igbos say, Igwe bu ike (community is power). Kongo people have it that “a man outside his clan is
like a grasshopper which has lost its wings”. Sofola (1982) and Onwubiko (1991) list sense of
community life as one of the core values in African cultural setting. Jesus assurance to His followers
of his presence in their togetherness underscores the power of communalism. This research work
takes on Matt 18,20 from exegetical perspective and then seeks to give it a hermeneutical application
bearing in mind the African value for communalism. Julius Nyerere’s Ujamaa philosophy is taken
as an exemplary thought that truly expresses this unique African value of communalism. Since the
Bible holds communalism at a high esteem and since it is an important part of African value, the
researcher encourages the Africans especially the Igbo community to hold to this enviable culture
even in the craze of ever menacing western culture.