Challenges of Tribal and Ethnic Diversity in Africa

In preparation for writing this article I interviewed several people at Andrews University from several African countries who have all requested anonymity. They unanimously told of experiences that reveal the presence and the impact of tribal and ethnic diversity on the mission of the Adventist Church in Africa. One pastor indicated how uncomfortable he felt working in a location away from his home region. By virtue of belonging to another ethnic group, he was viewed as a foreigner. Another pastor I talked to, though coming from a different country, also affirmed this reality of ethnic problems and expressed the need for the church to do something about it. I have also traveled in some African countries and I have seen both the negative and positive impact of tribal and ethnic affinities. Church growth gurus have attested to the positive impact of tribal affinity when it comes to the spreading of the gospel within a particular people group. However, where Christ does not take root in the hearts of people, the Corinthian saga that the apostle Paul had to wrestle with seems to be the result (1 Cor 3:1). Unfortunately, in Africa not only are there administrative problems in the church due to tribal and ethnic affinities, but also the tragic loss of human life and political and social unrest seem to be the consequences of ethnic factions as illustrated by the cases of Rwanda (BBC 2008), Zimbabwe (Sithole 1998:370), Kenya (Oyugi 1998:308), Ghana (Agyeman 1998:196), and Nigeria (Egwu 1998:65). In one country, I was told that there is an ethnic group, a large tribe, which was quite vocal and very dominant in its attitude towards God’s work. This people group created problems until the country’s administrative strucJohn Shumba was the President of the East Zambia Field prior to doing his MDiv and DMin at Andrews University. His areas of interest include culture and spirituality.