AFRICAN JOURNAL OF CONTEXTUAL THEOLOGY

This paper offers a theologico-anthropological interpretation of the Amistad story - the 1839 grounding of a slave ship in the United States and the subsequent trial of its African captives. It highlights the central role played by the memoria Christi (the memory of Jesus Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection) alongside abolitionist Christians in rekindling hope among the captives, who recognized a shared community of destiny with an unjustly condemned Christ. Despite significant cultural divides, the narrative of God’s grace enabled both Africans and Americans to reconnect with their ancestral memories, re-envisioning themselves as wounded brothers and sisters. Furthermore, grounding this memory of grace in the evangelical doctrine of justification provides vital theological resources for redefining human identity and affirming universal human dignity. Ultimately, this reflection demonstrates how the memoria Christi remains vital for healing wounded memories and transforming the memory of race through the memory of grace in contemporary, racially polarized contexts.

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