My name is Roch Ntankeh. I am a Cameroonian theologian and arts training specialist. I currently live in Yaoundé and serve mainly in French-speaking countries across Africa, where I seek to promote the teaching of ethnodoxology through seminars and training sessions.
In 2022, I was invited by the Dean of the Protestant Faculty of Theology / Peace and Development at the Evangelical University in Africa (UEA), Bukavu, to come and teach ethnodoxology. Since the faculty was not able to cover my flight expenses, I applied for and received a scholarship from the Avery Fund.
The seminar we held lasted five full days. According to the testimonies of participants, it was truly a blessing for the Church in that region of Africa, where the arts are often regarded with suspicion as something ungodly. By the end of the seminar, many participants—most of them pastors serving in the field—committed themselves to reconsidering the use of local arts in their churches.
On a personal note, this experience strengthened my conviction and calling to help my people in Africa rediscover the freedom to use their local arts in worship, because these are not demonic or satanic but gifts from God.
I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the participants in the seminar and myself, to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Avery Fund. Your generous support made this dream a reality, and I am deeply thankful for your assistance.
