Abstract:
Addressing a myriad of complex social, economic and political issues in the South African
context requires that we draw from a variety of voices. This postcolonial reflection draws on
the work of Vuyani Vellem’s African spirituality to highlight how it can help Africans
conceptualise race epistemologically. The contribution emerged out of an article presented at
a conference themed ‘unthinking West. The article employed the concepts of liminality and
threshold to discuss the ambivalence encountered by Vuyani Vellem and highlights how his
theological convictions still present unsettling ideological aftershocks within the unjust
structures of society.
CONTRIBUTION: This contribution is a black liberation theological reflection, which laments how
Vellem did not live to witness the full realisation of his dreams regarding the liberation of the
black masses. The article identifies racial discrimination and misconceptions on African
spirituality as some examples of the ‘unsettling aftershocks’ regarding challenges, which
Vellem confronted within the unjust structures of South African society.
