Re-imagining a new social contract to address exclusion and marginalisation in Africa Insights from the “Golden Rule and Ubuntu” as value frameworks

Abstract

The question should be asked whether the glaring failures of countries in the African continent to realise constitutions’ social contracts of those countries is related to a lack of moral intelligence and competence in Africa and the presence of devasting moral viruses. The failures of these countries to realise their social contracts manifest themselves, among other things, through entrenched multi-dimensional exclusion and marginalisation of the masses as far as wealth and exercise of power are concerned. To curb or address exclusion and marginalisation, the author in this article explored how missiology could contribute towards mobilising the Church and its ministries and members to nurture and embrace value frameworks which would help to build moral competence and identity, as well as to identify and end moral viruses. In this contribution, the author delved into two value frameworks namely, “The Golden Rule and Ubuntu” that embrace both religion and culture and their implications for the Church in mission with God in the public sphere to demonstrate value-based responses to address exclusion and marginalisation. Insights shared in this contribution would contribute towards reimagining a new social contract in the African public space from a Missiological perspective.