In 1994, the Kenyan theologian Esther Mombo arrived in Edinburgh to begin a PhD at the Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World (now the Centre for the Study of World Christianity). Three decades later, she returned to her alma mater to give the 2023 Cunningham Lecture and to receive an honorary doctorate in recognition of her many contributions to theology – and in particular, to the place of women in African theology.
“I was brought up as a Quaker, south of Lake Victoria. My grandmother was my first theological educator. She taught me about equality, stewardship and peace. When I applied to study in Edinburgh, I was teaching at a Bible school in a patriarchal space. I wanted to enlarge my vision, to support women who do ministry and to write about African theology. Through the support of friends, I got a Commonwealth grant that was given through the Church Mission Society, and came to Edinburgh.
“I started with a theological focus but shifted to history, working on African women in the Quaker tradition. I sat in seminars at New College and also in the Centre for African studies: development, theology, and history. Edinburgh was a free space. I got to know students from Korea, Germany, Scotland, Ireland, lay and ordained, men and women, young and old. It was a joy to be able to study within that kind of community.
“The Centre was small and cozy. You knew everybody who was associated with it. I got to know people personally, and their projects, and even their families and church traditions. I felt I could grow academically and socially. I’ve kept in touch with friends from those years. I’ve taught in South Korea, and have good friends in Nigeria and France. Scottish friends took me to ceilidh dances.
“In my time, everyone worked in the computer lab. We journeyed and laughed with each other there. It was a space to vent, which is good for a PhD student!
“Edinburgh shaped my international outlook. There was room to think, to envision, to question, to critique, to analyse. Religion has the power to convene and convince. I don’t avoid discussing how religion can be positive and negative—we can see that in the ways women have been treated in the Christian tradition. That’s why I’ve worked very hard in opening more space for women to enter into theological space and to grow there.”
Esther Mombo is Professor of Church History and Theologies from Women’s Perspectives at St Paul’s University in Limuru, Kenya.
