Includes bibliographical references (pages 266-276) and indexes.

Introduction: On arguing and wrestling with God in Africa -- Part one: A hope-less continent?. The possibility and the nature of hope in Africa -- The need and urgency of a theology of hope -- Part two: Soundscapes of lament. The strange gift of the discipline of lament -- The threefold gift of cultural expressions of lament -- Part three: The God of lament. The Psalms of lament and the silence of God -- The saving power of "Christ crucified" -- Part four: The peace of lament. The peace-building dimensions of prophetic lament -- Christopher Munzihirwa and the politics of nonviolent love -- The costly loss of lament -- Part five: The politics of lament. Rachel's cry in the gospel of Matthew -- David Kasali and the Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo in Beni -- Maggy Barankitse and the politics of forgiveness in Burundi -- Refusing to be consoled for the death of the martyrs --- Conclusion: "Une herbe qui brûle" (the grass that burns).

There is no more urgent theological task than to provide an account of hope in Africa, given its endless cycles of violence, war, poverty, and displacement. So claims Emmanuel Katongole, an innovative theological voice from Africa. In the midst of suffering, Katongole says, hope takes the form of "arguing" and "wrestling" with God. Such lament is not merely a cry of pain- it is a way of mourning, protesting, and appealing to God. As he unpacks the rich theological and social dimensions of the practice of lament in Africa, Katongole tells the stories of courageous Christian activists working for change in East Africa and invites readers to enter into lament along with them. --