John Knox Bokwe (1855–1922): A model of creative tension in the late 19th and early 20th-century South Africa

HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies

 
 
Field Value
 
Title John Knox Bokwe (1855–1922): A model of creative tension in the late 19th and early 20th-century South Africa
 
Creator Duncan, Graham A.
 
Subject History Bokwe; John Knox; Lovedale Missionary Institution; Ntselamanzi; Ntsikana; Ugie; UloThixo Omkhulu (Great Hymn).
Description The year 2022 marks a century since the death of Reverend John Knox Bokwe, a minister of the United Free Church of Scotland Mission in South Africa. Although little known, Bokwe was an important member of the emerging African intellectual elite towards the end of the 19th century. He demonstrated the creative tension that arises when two cultures encounter each other as he confronted and made sense of the historical meaning of modernity. He emphasised the value of his traditional culture in a context where western culture was making a significant transforming impact on African life, which produced a creative tension throughout his working life in various contexts. This paper analyses his particular contribution as an active committed Christian through a number of overlapping lenses – his life in clerical work, journalism, literature, theology, education, music and his involvement in social and political issues and ministry. In all this he operated with a holistic vision. The paper offers an assessment of his life’s work using a combination of primary and secondary sources.Contribution: This article adds to the growing body of work that is derived from studies on the emergence of indigenous leadership in South Africa by looking at the life, work and Christian witness of Rev John Knox Bokwe from the perspective of the creative tension that he experienced and navigated in the varied professional and vocational perspectives he engaged in during his life.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor N/A
Date 2022-11-28
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Historical inquiry
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/hts.v78i4.7592
 
Source HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies; Vol 78, No 4 (2022); 10 pages 2072-8050 0259-9422
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/7592/23623 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/7592/23624 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/7592/23625 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/7592/23626
 
Coverage South Africa 1855-1922 N/A
Rights Copyright (c) 2022 Graham A. Duncan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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