Breaking the Silence and Reclaiming Faith for Justice

Photo: 2025 Pan-African Faith & Gender Justice Conference

Through plenary sessions, testimonies, and workshops, the conference offered a brave space for reflection and renewal. Bishop Rose Okeno, one of Kenya’s first female Anglican bishops, shared her journey of breaking barriers in church leadership in her presentation, “Women of Faith in Leadership and the Fight Against GBV.” Her story of resilience reminded participants that empowering women within faith spaces is not just a matter of equality as it’s also a crucial step toward ending violence. As she spoke, the audience leaned forward, united by a sense of purpose: dismantling patriarchy within the church is inseparable from dismantling violence in society.

Another session invited participants to imagine life through the eyes of an African girl. Emily Nielsen Jones of the Imago Dei Fund and Rev. Domnic Misolo, founder of IFAGE, led an evocative discussion titled “Walking the Exodus Path in the Shoes of the Girl Child.” By blending biblical narratives of liberation with real-world struggles, they showed how sacred stories can inspire social change. Their message was clear: “faith, when properly interpreted, can be a force for freedom.”

The human stories shared were raw, courageous, and deeply moving. One workshop on survivor-centered approaches underscored the importance of letting those most affected lead the way. “Nothing for us without us.” Likewise, Jeniffer Nantale from Uganda’s NYAKA initiative demonstrated how empowering survivors economically and socially rebuilds entire communities. Each story turned statistics into faces, and pain into purpose. More than once, participants stood to share their own experiences of loss or survival. The gathering truly embodied what the organizers had envisioned: a safe and sacred space for honest dialogue and healing.

Reclaiming Theology: Scripture as a Tool for Justice

Amid these personal testimonies, another powerful current ran through the conference—the reclaiming of theology as an instrument of justice. For centuries, misinterpretations of scripture have been used to justify patriarchy and control. In Limuru, scholars and faith leaders turned those interpretations inside out.

In one memorable session, Prof. Esther Mombo and Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro led participants through “A Critical Look at the Bible and Its Interpretations.” They unpacked familiar verses often used to silence women and revealed their deeper, contextually just meanings. It was, as one participant noted, “a masterclass in reading the Bible through the eyes of liberation.” 

Perhaps the most stirring theological reflection came from Prof. Lazare Rukundwa, who revisited the story of Tamar in his paper, “The Silent Cry of Tamar and Cultural Justice (Genesis 38).” He described Tamar’s defiance of injustice not as rebellion, but as an act of cultural and spiritual courage calling for societies to defend the dignity of widows and the marginalized. His words drew a deep stillness across the room. When he quoted a modern African widow saying, “We are tired of being called abapfakazi (widows); call us ababyeyi bibana (mothers who live by themselves),”there was a ripple of emotion underlining both pain and dignity reclaimed.

Through such moments, the conference offered more than academic debate; it became a theological awakening. Delegates agreed that any theology diminishing women’s worth is not only unjust but unfaithful to the essence of the Gospel. One slide projected during a plenary summarized the sentiment perfectly:

“We are made in the image of God: wonderfully created, beautifully made, loved just as we are.”

This message resonated deeply. Many faith leaders vowed to return home and re-teach scripture from a perspective of equality and compassion to ensure that no woman or survivor ever again hears faith used as a weapon of silence or shame. Look out for PART THREE of the reflections in our next blog soon.