The Will to Co-Exist:A liberationist Solidarity in Glocalized churches

The increasing number of migrants invites us to develop the will to coexist. Such co-existence can likened to liberative solidarity, a great need in the current global society shaped by glocarism. Glocarism is “a process of norm diffusion from the local to the global and from the global to the local” . I borrow from this term from the context of globalization to refer to the transfer and exchange of economy and knowledge withing churches around the globe. Data I discussed here were corrected from glocal churches. The churches were initiatives from other parts of the world or were initiative shaped by norms for outside of South Africa. Two of these churches could fit with the term diaspora churches yet I feel that the concept of glocalism characterizes well the churches’ will to adopt local norms, exchange knowledge with individuals around the world while transferring global norms to local church members who join them. As such, co-existence between local members and international migrants demonstrates the phenomenon of glocalism within church context. Most of the members of two of these churches are international African migrants. The third church is based elsewhere and has planted local branches in South Africa. The branches are led by local communities and adapted to the local life in some ways. I regard them as glocal because of their desire to have local touch to remain welcoming to local members as they immerse themselves and adapt locally. Yet they remain global churches because their foundational ethos, leadership or partners are rooted abroad. In a paradoxical context of South Africa glocal churches are invested in reconstructing themselves translate their will to co-exist into practice. Thinking with Chimhanda (2010: 4379) I perceive that these churches have a number of crises to consider to maintain their glocarity fabric and remain welcoming to both local and migrants. Among others, Hopkins (1987: xiv) points at the multilayered reality of black oppression and the landlessness of many underprivileged individuals. Maluleke (1997:42) has observed in South Africa that the society is also dealing with gendered, racial and class marginalization. To the list Du Toit (2009:16) adds the inability of the leadership to dissociate with the poor and therefore sometimes feeling the urge to practice nepotism or corruption which often results in poor services and lack of expertise. Landau would would have added “pre-criminalizing race and space” that deepens the brokenness of relationships between many host communities and African international migrant which pushes migrants into a survival mode (Hankela Chimhanda adds the issues of white South Africans who feel marginalized as well. In this context Chimhanda (2010) speaks of the need to champion for policies that empower both the target group and all people. It is in this context of glocality shaped by the context of migration, that the churches included in this conversation find meaning in the will to co-exist.