Religion and Social Justice in Africa

Abstract

This chapter examines how religion influences the perception and execution of social justice in Africa. Religion in this context includes traditional and other non-indigenous religions such as Christianity and Islam. The chapter challenges the scholarly approach to social justice in Africa which focuses mostly on the positive contribution of religion and tradition to social justice but neglects the challenges that cast a slur on the same. To this end, after exploring the traditio-cultural and religious approaches to social justice in Africa, the chapter discusses issues that pose challenges to religion and social justice in twenty-first-century Africa and recommends further research into these issues of social injustice that impede the smooth execution of social justice in Africa.