by Marie-Lucile Kubacki
Dar es Salaam – Liturgical inculturation is neither about “canonizing” personal pratices nor about indiscriminately adding cultural elements to the Roman rite. Rather, it seeks to help the People of God celebrate the Paschal Mystery more deeply within their own cultural context. This was one of the recommendations expressed by participants at the Second Congress of African Liturgists, held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from August 2 to 8.
The Congress took place at the Headquarters of the Tanzanian Episcopal Conference , Kurasini Training & Conference
Centre, in Dar es Salaam which saw the participation of 112 individuals from 11 African countries to focus on the theme: “Practices of liturgical inculturation in Africa: past, present and future.”
Following the discussions on “The State of Liturgical Life in Africa,” held in Dakar in December 2023, participants this time turned their attention to music, song, dance and architecture. In their final synthesis, they first stressed the need for a rigorous understanding of inculturation. “It is not a question of creating a new rite,” they emphasized, but rather, starting from local cultural realities, “of helping the People of God to celebrate the Paschal Mystery.” The document therefore warns against the temptation to enrich the Roman rite with elements that could “weigh down” or “at times obscure the mystery being celebrated.” “Not all cultural elements lend themselves to inculturation,” the Liturgists further noted.
The Liturgists reaffirmed the approach set out in the 1994 “Varietates legitimae,” according to which inculturation should make it possible to celebrate the sacred mysteries drawing upon authentic and necessary cultural expressions that possess a value and purpose related to worship, are in harmony with the Gospel and are approved by the Church. Its purpose is to enable the faithful to encounter Christ more deeply within their own cultural context. Such a process therefore requires training and initiation into liturgy, in accordance with the Constitution of the
Second Vatican Council “Sacrosanctum Concilium” , and Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter Desiderio desideravi .
The document also recalls that the active participation called for by the Conciliar Constitution on the Liturgy cannot be reduced to a collection of gestures or bodily attitudes . Above all, must be “conscious, devout and fruitful” . It was from this perspective that the Congress addressed the role of music, song and dance.
Participants acknowledged that song and dance accompany many moments of life in African cultures. At the same time, they noted that African religious traditions themselves are able to distinguish between secular expressions and those appropriate to worship. The challenge, therefore, is not to stifle creativity, but to channel it so that artistic expressions remain “truly at the service of the Church’s prayer.”
The synthesis is particularly clear regarding dance: “Liturgical dance is neither a performance, nor an activity, nor entertainment—and certainly not a recreational break,” it states. Dance can form part of the liturgical action when it expresses “the mystery being celebrated with dignity and thus constitutes a prayer.” For this reason, groups whose ministry would consist exclusively of dancing around or within
the sanctuary merit “careful discernment.” Such an expression requires formation, accompaniment and discernment in order to avoid “turning celebrations into folklore or theatre”.
Catholic Bishops’ Conferences are therefore encouraged to promote traditional music and chant, as provided for by Sacrosanctum Concilium , while discerning forms “that accord with the dignity of the
sacred edifice and truly foster the edification of the faithful” . The Congress recommends, in particular, the formation of liturgical ministers and composers, the revitalization of sacred music centers, and the development of a repertoire that also incorporates the Word of God, the sacraments, sacramentals and the Liturgy of the Hours.
Finally, the reflection on architecture recalled that a church cannot be reduced to a meeting hall. A Christian building must convey a message that harmonizes faith and culture together and be “a place that inspires and uplifts.” Without spaces that express the sacred and serve the purpose of prayer, participants warned, “we may create beautiful works of art,” but they risk becoming merely “tourist attractions.”
The participants also proposed the establishment of a Liturgical Institute in Africa, aimed at deepening the understanding of Catholic liturgy in light of the continent’s rich traditions. “There are liturgical formation centers throughout the world, especially in Rome, Padua, Paris, Madrid and Barcelona…However, these institutes, which are attended by many Africans, are not always equipped to address the various liturgical challenges specific to Africa,”Father Olivier-Marie Sarr, Abbot of Keur Moussa, professor of liturgy at Sant’Anselmo and coordinator of the Consociatio Liturgica Africana , explained to Fides. “Having a liturgical institute in Africa, open to the universal Church and working closely with institutions dedicated to liturgical formation,” Father Sarr added, “could help deepen the study of various issues related to liturgy in Africa and provide theological, liturgical and pastoral guidance. It would offer Africa a laboratory for study, research and experimentation on the celebration of the liturgy for African faithful.”
The desire of African liturgists is thus to contribute to a celebration characterized by “a truly African and fully Catholic beauty”: not a decorative adaptation, but a genuinely African way of encountering God through the liturgy.
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