A theological consideration of freedom is not detached from the cross and its foolishness. Consider, for instance, the foolishness of downward journeys investing in vulnerable parts of our cities; the foolishness of upholding children as custodians and signs of the new household of God; the foolishness of St Francis abandoning all earthly wealth to kiss the leper; the foolishness of those who dare to imagine alternatives to the dominance of market and empire; the foolishness of searching for Christ in the stranger and the outcast; the foolishness of the clown who mirrors our own feeble folly.

It is for this reason that we participate in FEAST@UP and want to foster citizenship for social justice. On one of the days during the Feast we will co-host a colloquium entitled ‘The clown, the University, the city: unshackling liaisons’, during which we will consider the clown/jester/harlequin/fool as a metaphor for exploring relationships between the University, the city, faith and communities in the vulnerability of our city. In a fragile democracy, the clown can help us be more playful and less serious about ourselves; the jester can tell the truth to a naked emperor; and the harlequin can lead the parade of protest towards a better tomorrow where all will be free in God’s new household and will dine at the same table.

Contact: margaret.jasson@up.ac.za