Let us Examine Ourselves:
A Response to José Chipenda

Yasmin Sooka

Truth & Reconciliation Commissioner
World Conference on Religion & Peace in South Africa

[Yasmin Sooka’s comments are constructed from ‘tracker’s notes,’ taken during the course of her contribution. —Editor]

Let me begin by saying that I am sceptical about claims of moral leadership that individuals or groups take upon themselves. In part, this is  because those who claim such leadership are usually men, and the positions they take are often to the detriment of women. In similar vein, I wonder whether politicians really have the right to speak for the electorate, or whether religious leaders can really claim to be the true voice of morality. In general, I am saying that I am sceptical of self-ascribed moral authority.

In this respect, I note that South Africa has a very strong, progressive constitution. But even such a document has not eliminated problems of poverty, inequality, and the like. I further wonder, therefore, whether the ‘old values,’ those that undergirded the possibility of a healthy society, still carry any real weight, or whether they have been completely superseded by the great new value of consumerism. Part of what we have to value is our diversity. While South Africa is unquestionably a diverse society, it needs to make a new commitment to that diversity in light of the trend toward globalization.

Let me then turn around the question which we are we asked to address—that of the relationship of religious communities to government—to speak of the interaction of the government with religious communities. First, I am not sure that the government listens to religious leaders; but having said that, the next question is whether the government should do so. In this context, we must question whether faith communities really have a grasp of the great issues facing society (such as poverty). If they do not, then quite clearly, this would call into question the validity of their claims to a place in the discussion.

I want therefore to call on religious communities to examine themselves, to ask both whether they had done enough in the past, and what they can still do in the present and future. It is important that we re-evaluate the prophetic role of these communities, to see what they can do positively. In short, the issue is not primarily the question: ‘What are the problems’; rather it is ‘How can we respond to the problems?’ /end p. 70/