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African Traditional Religion versus Christianity
Some Semiotic Observations
Imprint: Resource Publications
Breaking away from the centuries-long theological tradition, Dmitry Usenco offers a radically new--semiotic--reading of spirituality, proceeding on his original theory of the initial cultural unity that embraces language, technology, and religion. African Traditional Religion comes into focus as a valid alternative and--in the long run--an equal partner to Christianity in the creation of a modern pluralistic society. While the author's concepts and conclusions may seem controversial to some, none of the readers can discard them as irrelevant. Africa's future will in many respects depend on her ability to preserve her cultural heritage in which religion plays a crucial part.
Born in Moldova, Dmitry Usenco earned his PhD at the Institute of World Literature, Moscow, in 1998. Having moved to the United Kingdom in 2004, he has since then worked as a translator, interpreter, and now also writer. This is the first full-size book he commends to the attention of his readers.
“I recommend this book both as an incidental introduction to semiotics and for outlining common underlying ‘processes’ found in different religions. Wide-ranging scholarship is applied to fascinating subject matter so relevant to contemporary globalized cultural contrasts. The seriousness of the book is offset by the writer’s entertaining style. It should enhance understanding of the shared heritage of religions relevant to conflict situations arising from rapid social change.”
—Richard F. Turner, graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge
“If an author like Dmitry Usenco, writing on the topic of African Traditional Religion versus Christianity, is able to pleasantly surprise a trained theologian and missionary with forty years of experience in Africa (Ghana) like myself with new perspectives and insights, then I feel justified to endorse this book to a larger audience. No religious presentation should underestimate, let alone disrespect, the cultural heritage of the people it wishes to understand. Traditional theology has not always scored high in the appreciation of this basic insight in respect of Africa. Refreshing to find new perspectives to look at African realities.”
—Joop Visser, SMA, Ghana