Ninth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

In this article I discuss religious and tribal connections among African indigenous groups to sketch how these relations impact or influence current developmental discourses. Firstly, I highlight how migration has always been at the heart of the development of African communities and demonstrate how the work of missionaries and various encounters between local indigenous groups and colonizers influenced or affected indigenous communities. The article argues that a postcolonial project of decolonization should take the role of migration and religion seriously if we are to develop policies and educational curricular that is transformative and will promote social cohesion, peace and stability in Southern Africa. Article argues that religion makes geographical borders fluid and has tested the principles of individual responsibility, enshrined in international law as the concept of boundaries now extends beyond ethnicity, nationality and even citizenship and highlights how traditional boundaries which confined particular religions to certain geographical locations are melting as people redefine boundaries for belonging in transnational communities.