Christopher Tounsel on Christianity and Political Imagination in South Sudan

Today’s conversation in Obehi Podcast is going to be about Christianity and the politics of religion in Southern Sudan. 

Download the first chapter of The Storytelling Series: Beginners’ Guide for Small Businesses & Content Creators by Obehi Ewanfoh.

The episode is actually about the book by professor Christopher, titled: “Chosen Peoples – Christianity and Political Imagination in South Sudan”.

Southern Sudan celebrated its independence as the world’s newest nation on July 9, 2011. And this, according to the Christian leaders has been foretold in the Book of Isaiah, thereby laying a foundation for the interpretation of God as a political figure.

“The Bible provided a foundation through which the South Sudanese could distinguish themselves from the Arab and Muslim Sudanese to the north and understand themselves as a spiritual community now freed from their oppressors.”

You might also like to read – David Williams Talks About His Music And Youth Worker In The UK

The Key Questions In This Episode:

• What is the role of God in the politics of Southern Sudan?
• Are there some foreign influences in the political struggle of Sudan,
• What can we learn from the interpretation of God as a political figure, as is often the case in most African countries today?

The Full Interview With Christopher Tounsel

South Sudan marked its independence on July 9, 2011, which was considered a significant event by the country’s Christian leaders. They believed that the Book of Isaiah had foretold the birth of the world’s newest nation.

The Bible served as a foundation for the South Sudanese people to differentiate themselves from the Muslim and Arab population of Sudan to the north. It also provided a means for them to identify as a spiritual community that had finally been liberated from their oppressors.

However, within just a few years, new conflicts began to arise in South Sudan, driven by ethnic differences. These conflicts contradicted the liberation theology that had been touted as the culmination of the nation’s struggle for independence.

Christopher Tounsel’s book, Chosen Peoples, delves into the role of Christian beliefs in shaping the formation of South Sudan and how religion failed to prevent conflict. Tounsel examines the establishment of a mission school during the colonial era to counter the spread of Islam along the Nile, the use of biblical language in South Sudanese propaganda during the Second Civil War (1983-2005), and the evolution of religious ideology following independence in the face of ethnic violence.

Through these examples, Tounsel illustrates both the potential and limitations of utilizing race and Christian theology as unifying factors in South Sudan.

You might also like to read – How Educational Institutions And Businesses Use African American History With Marcus Nicks

About The Guest: Christopher Tounsel

Christopher Tounsel is an Assistant Professor of History and African Studies at Penn State University, US.

As a historian of modern Sudan, he focuses mainly on race and religion as political technologies. His first book, “Chosen Peoples: Christianity and Political Imagination in South Sudan”, was published by Duke University Press and is currently available online, including on Amazon.com.

The book which is also at the center of this episode explores the ways that Southern Sudanese intellectuals used Judeo-Christian Scriptures to frame their revolutionary work against the Sudanese state.

Spanning Anglo-Egyptian colonialism, Sudanese independence, and South Sudanese independence, Chosen Peoples uncovers a crucial chapter of African religious and political thought.

Dr. Christopher is currently working on a second book project, tentatively titled “Black Like Us: African American Engagements with Sudan from the Mahdiya to Obama”.

The new book is an expansion on his recent work on the Tuskegee Institute’s cotton-cultivation work in early twentieth-century Sudan, it aims to chart a new intellectual history of black America’s relationship with Africa from colonialism to the twenty-first century.

You can contact Christopher Tounsel on his LinkedIn page.

Learn More About The Podcast

Obehi Podcast brings you leaders and experts from different industries to share their experiences, relating to Africa and the African diaspora. Listen to Obehi Podcast across different platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and much more.

Download the first chapter of The Storytelling Series: Beginners’ Guide for Small Businesses & Content Creators by Obehi Ewanfoh.