Rose Zoe Obianga

Rose Zoe Obianga
Born	Rose Zoe Obianga 26 December 1943 Central African Republic (Oubangui -Chari)
🏳️ Citizenship	Cameroonian
💼 Occupation	Academic professor, Theologian, Author
👩 Spouse(s)	Jean Samuel Zoe Obianga
👶 Children	4

Rose Zoe Obianga (born 1943) from Cameroon is a professor of French linguistics at the university of Cameroon. She has been a member of the Executive group of the World Council of Churches (WCC's) unit II commission and a vice-president of the All Africa conference of Churches. Obianga is a Church Elder within the Cameroonian Presbyterian Church (EPC). Additionally, she is a founding member of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians.

Early life and family

Rose was born on 26 December 1943, in Oubangui Chari, presently known as the Central African Republic (CAR), to Cameroonian lineage.On 9 April 1966, Obianga entered matrimony with Jean Samuel Zoé Obianga, together, theyhave four children.

Education and career

Obianga early education was conducted in CAR, encompassing primary schooling and a portion of her secondary education. Following the completion of her Brevet d’Études du Premier Cycle (BEPC), she journeyed to France in 1961. Subsequently, from 1962 to 1965, Obianga pursued her secondary studies culminating in the attainment of her Baccalauréat A4 in France. She furthered her academic pursuits at the universities of Nancy and Strasbourg where she earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in linguistics, before obtaining her Doctorate in Linguistics with a specialisation in Experimental Phonetics.

Upon her return to Cameroon, Obianga assumed instructional roles in Linguistics and Experimental Phonetics at the University of Yaoundé, as well as within theological faculties in Yaoundé, Bibia, Foulassi (Cameroon) and Bitam (Gabon) for an extensive duration until her retirement. Presently, she engages herself in religious service within her church and in activities with the Christian Women’s Association (ACF).

Obianga’s academic journey traversed diverse disciplines from linguistics to theology. Her theological pursuits commenced at the Protestant Faculty of Theology in Strasbourg. Subsequently, she furthered her theological education in New York for a duration of two years, specializing in the field of ‘Christian Women’s Association.’ Obianga's theological acumen culminated in her consecration as a Church Elder in 1975 within the Cameroonian Presbyterian Church (EPC), concurrently maintaining a role within the Association of Christian Women (ACF) of the same Church. she cultivated a theological discourse around sociocultural and religious milieu of her environment.

Obianga is identified as among African scholars contributing to the development of pastoral care and counselling. Her contributions appear in African Pastoral care and counselling today (1991). She contributed in children's literature and promotion of African culture and education discipline.

Engaging in ecumenical networks, she extended her influence at the African level through membership in the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT), while she served as a Vice-President of the All-Africa conference of churches (WCC)

Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians Membership

Obianga is a founding member of the Circle, she was among the French-speaking pioneers within the Circle, emerged alongside the primary architect of the Circle, Mercy Amba Oduyoye. Obianga was affiliated with the EATWOT and held a position within the WCC. Her involvement in the genesis of the Circle dates back to 1988 when she collaborated with Oduyoye and others in the offices of the World Council of Churches in Geneva to devise strategies for its establishment. This foundational endeavour culminated in the convocation held in Accra in 1989, wherein Obianga was part of a cohort of women tasked with laying the groundwork, as documented by Oduyoye (1995).

Obianga has consistently advocated for the significance of the Circle’s inception, viewing it as a laudable initiative poised to shape the landscape of theology and elevate the status of women across Africa. Obianga has been instrumental in fostering the Circle’s presence in Cameroon, collaborating notably with Hélène Yinda. Her engagement extends to Pan-African forums, notably serving as a resource person for the organisation of the Pan-African Conference in Yaoundé in 2007. Continuing her unwavering commitment, Obianga remains an invaluable advisor to the Circle, particularly within its French-speaking contingent and in Cameroon. Her aspiration is to witness the Circle flourish, fulfilling its mandate as a beacon of enduring enlightenment through scholarly research, writing and dissemination.

Awards and recognition

• Founding member of the Circle: She is known as a founding member of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (CIRCLE), which was started in 1989 to give African women a platform to express their theological ideas.
• Global leadership roles: She held important leadership positions in the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT), where she helped strengthen theological networks around the world.
• Pioneer of gender inculturation: She is recognized for bringing gender perspectives into African theology, a contribution often described as “gender inculturation,” which promotes the liberation and empowerment of women.
• Literary recognition: Her work is widely cited in major theological books, including Voices from Africa on Pastoral Care.
• Church leadership: She served as Vice-President of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) and also participated in the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Membership

• Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians
• Ecumenical Association of African Theologians (AOTA)
• Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT)
• All-Africa Conference of Churches (AACC)
• World Council of Churches (WCC).

Selected works

• Zoé-Obianga, R. (1984). Les femmes africaines et la libération de l'Afrique. Bulletin de Théologie Africaine= Bulletin of African Theology= Boletin de Teologia Africana Kinshasa, 6(12), 319-323.
• Zoe-Obianga, R. (1981). The role of women in present-day Africa. African theology en Route, 145-149.
• Zoe‐Obianga, R. (1995). The encounter of Gospel and culture in the experience of an African woman. International review of mission, 84(334), 295-297.
• Zoé-Obianga, R. Violence in the Family: The Polygamous Family in Kamerun. Violence and Sacrifice: cultural anthropological and theological aspects taken from five continents, 42-44.
• Zoé Obianga, R. (1992). Quand l’église en Afrique deviendra africaine. Concilium, 239, 119-123.
• Zoé-Obianga, R. (1992). When will the Church in Africa become African. Towards the African Synod, 88-91.
• ROSE.. ZOE OBIANGA. (1971). LES FAITS PROSODIQUES EN BULU (Doctoral dissertation).
• Zoé-Obianga, R. (1985). Anstöße der Tradition für die Erneuerung der Gemeinschaft. Die Gemeinschaft von Frauen und Männern in der Kirche, 88-94.
• Zoé-Obianga, R. Questions des femmes africaines à l'Église d'Afrique. Bulletin de théologie africaine, 7(13/14), 373-381.
• Obianga, R. Z. (1992). Cuando la Iglesia, en África, se haga africana. Concilium: Revista internacional de teología, (239), 119-124.
• ZOE-OBIANGA, R. (1971). Les faits prosodiques en Bulu. BULL. INFORM. LIAISON, CARDAN, 3(3).
• Zoé-Obianga, R. Wenn die Kirche in Afrika afrikanisch wird. Concilium, 28(1), 65-68.

Co-Edited works

• Amenyedzi, S. (2023). Introduction: West African Women Doing Theology that Liberates from Oppression. SANKOFA: Liberation Theologies of West African Women (Circle Jubilee Volume 1).
• Pemberton, C. (2002). Circle thinking: African women theologians in dialogue with the west (Vol. 25). Brill.
• Nforbi, E. (1993). Oku verb morphology: tense aspect and mood.
• Losambe, L. and Ojaide, T., 2024. The Routledge Handbook of the New African Diasporic Literature. Routledge.
• Amenyedzi, S.B., Maton, Y.A. and Yele, M.L. eds., 2023. Sankofa: Liberation Theologies of West African Women (Circle Jubilee Volume 1) (Vol. 39). University of Bamberg Press.
• Dube, M.W., 2024. PREFACE: The Quest for Theological Wisdom Following the footsteps of the Queen of Sheba, Mama Walatta Petros and Kimpa Vita in the Quest for Feminist/Womanist Theological Space. Queen of Sheba: East and Central African Women’s Theologies of Liberation (Circle Jubilee Volume 2).
• Dube, M.W., 2024. Following the footsteps of the Queen of Sheba, Mama Walatta Petros and Kimpa Vita in the Quest for Feminist/Womanist Theological Space. Queen of Sheba: East and Central African Women’s Theologies of Liberation (Circle Jubilee Volume 2), 40, p. 11.

References

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