DECOLONISED KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION FOR SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION: POTENTIALS OF MOTHER TONGUE BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS AS A SOURCE OF NEW THEOLOGICAL INSIGHTS

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The translation of the first full Bible into Ewe in 1919 was a huge landmark in literary Ewe knowledge production for social transformation. Given the fact that the Bible is enthusiastically embraced among the Christian Ewe of West Africa as the inspired, authoritative and inerrant word of God, it goes without saying that the new Ewe-Bible was a source of new theological insights for social transformation. Using mother tongue biblical hermeneutics, the present paper argues that the re-translation of previously inadequately translated biblical concepts into Ewe have the potential both for decolonised Ewe knowledge production and social transformation among the Ewe of West Africa. The case study employed here is the Ewe mother tongue translation and interpretation of oikonomous, in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2. The study identifies translation challenges and conducts an exegetical analysis of the text. It compares existing mother tongue translations, proposes a culturally relevant interpretation and highlights how a revised translation can better align with the Ewe worldview. The study demonstrates that this process of mother tongue biblical hermeneutics contributes to the decolonization of Ewe knowledge production and provides theological insights that can drive social transformation in Ewe communities across West Africa. The study contributes to the broader field of postcolonial theology and highlights the significance of indigenous knowledge systems in global theological discourse.