traditional African takes the character of critical reflection of the African understanding of reality and world view. For Ivy Akumu '15, it sparked an interest in the history of Christianity and, by extension, of other religions. Finally, it suggested that Afrocentric terminologiesis . They provide the orientation for the human life journey by defining the rites of passage from life to death. Whatever it is, the assumption that Africa is lacking innovation is laughable. As with myths the world over, African mythology includes multiple, often contradictory, versions of the same event. They are less concerned with doctrines and much more so with rituals . My essay Om ptadran, an Africanist Griot: Toni Morrison and African Epistemology, Myths, and Literary Culture, in. While scholars have often argued that African indigenous accounts of creation were ex nihilo (created out of nothing), as the biblical account of creation is often portrayed,12 African cosmological narratives generally indicate that there is never one pattern governing how creation happens. Despite the plethora of denominations and sects, African religions continue to be viewed as single entities,3 and their (our) religions are perhaps the least understood facet of African life. Ifas religious thought systemfriendlier to Islam than to Christianitynot only predates Islam but also engages Islam in serious conversation. This is far from the truth. b. certain clan outsiders. The Ifa divination system, which produced 256 chapters of oral narratives, constitutes an encyclopedic compendium of knowledge that provides answers to nearly every meaningful human question in the Yoruba and Fon universe. Portia Zvavahera, His Presence, 2013, oil-based printing ink on paper. To understand Africans, one must understand the African religion. God is the first Initiator of a people's way of Life, its tradition. Foreign aid has been helpful to many small African countries that are struggling economically. with Ibramic faiths tends to deprive the African Traditional Religion its true status as an independent religion . African Traditional Religion and medicine are integral parts of life and culture of the Africans and have greatly influenced their conceptions about human health and wholeness. . Little wonder John Mbiti, a famous African theologian said, Wherever the African is, there is his religion. 2. This creates fear and panic resulting in misleading assumptions about Africa. .entry-morefrom {display: none !important} A 1685 law, for instance, prohibited the practice of African religions, and required all masters to Christianize their slaves within eight days of their arrival in Haiti. Africans are eager to learn new skills and embrace new technologies. Today as a minority tradition, indigenous African religions have suffered immensely from human rights abuses. . There is a common saying in Africa Dont forget where you come from. I suggest that, at the conceptual and theoretical levels, we begin to take this interpretive approach seriously. This corrective scholarship and critical intervention helped to redefine African worldviews and spirituality and, as such, showed how African religion is pivotal to the individual and communal existence of the people. When I told him I am a twin (Ibeji) in Yoruba traditionand in principle a sacred being myselfhe almost fell on the floor to pay homage! Voodoo, however, is a dynamic religion with no standardized dogma. Get it as soon as Wednesday, Oct 26. Many people have bought into the narrative of African traditional religious beliefs as something untrue and based on delusions, but they have also forgotten that all religions have the same thing in common. Reclaim the Ancestral Traditions of African Religion! African religions, religious beliefs and practices of the peoples of Africa. Even within a single ethnic group or clan, there are often highly contested and even opposing stories or viewpoints when it comes to creation accounts, thus allowing for flexibility and hermeneutic creativity. 15. 2,269. .title-desc-wrapper .view-post {display: none !important} Colonization may seem to be over but for African traditional religion, it is not. The range of African indigenous beliefs and practices has been referred to as African traditional religions in an effort to encompass the breadth and depth of the religious traditions on the continent.2 The diversity of the traditions themselves is tremendous, making it next to impossible for all of them to be captured in a single presentation. Acceptably, this was a cruel act of ignorance, but like many other stories about African countries, this story is often generalized. 7, The Spirits, in his, One must resist the structuralist temptation that views myths as static, unchanging, and simply the productions of a peoples imagination about the cosmic order. It is an accepted position that the African Initiated Churches (AICs) were formed as a result of the search for a unique African identity and culture. African traditional medicine (ATM) has been used by African populations for the treatment of diseases long before the advent of orthodox medicine and continues to carry a part of the burden of health for the majority of the population. Compared to most patriarchal traditions, where womens participation and roles are curtailed, African religions attitude toward gender inclusion is unique. Catholic moral theologian Laurenti Magesa argues that, unlike clothes, which one can wear and take off, for Africans, religion is like skin that cannot be so easily abandoned.7 Mbiti also captures this unique aspect in the following passage: Because traditional religions permeate all the departments of life, there is no formal distinction between the sacred and the secular, between the religious and non-religious, between the spiritual and the material areas of life. Traditional African religion has common themes such as a Creator or High God, positive ancestor influences as well as tricksters, and an afterlife with spirit worlds. These narratives come to us in the form of myths. Unlike its popular usage, in scholarly language myths are sacred stories believed to be true by those who hold on to them. Human spirits represent people who have died, usually ancestors, in the recent or distant past.5 Third, the world of the ancestors occupies a large part of African cosmology. 2. The culture believes and traditions of the people of Africa is vast and should not be oversimplified in a stereotypical way. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete. This article is an edited version of remarks he delivered for the annual Surjit Singh Lecture in Comparative Religious Thought and Culture at the Graduate Theological Union on April28, 2020. The ability of the Black community to call on the spirits and ways of its ancestors is crucial to its continu Similarly, indigenous religion, worldviews, and rituals such as rites of passage and other religious performances are permeated by other religions, culture, and society in general. During the era of Western religious and cultural encounters in Yorubaland, some children were named Oguntoyibo, signifying Ogun (god of war and iron) is as powerful as the European god. Some children received names such as Ifatoyinbo, Ifa is as powerful as the white mans god. Such names and concepts illustrate the force and creative resistance of indigenous thought and its ability to engage Western modernity in rigorous debate. The culture believes and traditions of the people of Africa is vast and should not be oversimplified in a stereotypical way. Common misconceptions of Africa include the idea that it is behind the rest of the world, lacking in innovative technology. Ceremonies of naming, rites of passage, death, and other calendrical rites embody, enact, and reinforce the sacred values communicated in myths. So, why was it the negative stories about killing of twins that were promoted? Myth: Slavery is a product of Western civilization. Most of these aids go into building infrastructures like schools and hospitals. 53 offers from $9.56. African Vibes is a one-stop global platform that connects the African diaspora to opportunities for growth, development, and social impact in Africa. If you take these reports at face value, you may start to believe that all Africans are poor. African Religion is not Ancestor Worship. What, for example, is the notion of history and the sacred in Akan thought? Perhaps its the abundant wildlife, scorching deserts, or the vast uninhabited plainlands. African scholars in the United States are paying increasing attention to African images in African American culture and religion.20 Some scholars, especially literary critics, now scout African American novels such as Toni Morrisons and Alice Walkers works, for glimpses of African traditions. 11. 13. African Traditional Religion: A Definition (1973), Omosade Awolalu in Yoruba Belief and Sacrificial Rites and John Mbiti in The Concept of God in Africa (1970) are a few examples of postcolonial scholars of religion who have resisted and denounced colonial idea that Africans do not know God. Lets take the killing of twins as a case study. South Africa, as a member state of the World Health Organisation, has been set on the path of institutionalising African traditional medicine. Africa is poor. However, in the new world, we are seeing that the stone that the builders had rejected has become the cornerstone and central pillar: for example, Santeria was central to Cuban state making, and in Brazil only recently has Pentecostalism become responsible for the violence against Candombl devotees. For many Africans, religion is a way of life that can never be separated from the public sphere, but instead informs everything in traditional African society, including politics, art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. 3. In the primordial era, various forms of ethnic indigenous religions spread across the African continent, providing cohesive foundations of nations, peoples, and religious worldviews. 10. Most Africans at home and in the diaspora have made a name for themselves and praised for their contributions to society. In certain contexts and communities we have many documented instances of the central role of goddesses as founders of traditions, builders of kingdoms, and saviors and defenders of cities and civilizationsfor example, Moremi in Yorubaland, Nzinga in Angola, and Osun in West Africa. African religions do not rely on a single individual to be a religious leader, but rather depend on an entire community to make the religion work. Morocco and Algeria are typical examples of this misconception. This lack of knowledge as well as understanding of essentials has led to burgeoning of myths on African . The scope of the study is 1877-when Christianity was first introduced in Uganda to 1962 when Uganda got her independence; the period when Christian missionaries lost influence together with the colonial rulers. Female circumcision is a hotly contested practice condemned by many global organizations and lumped together under the category of female genital mutilation. Few have much clarity or knowledge on what is actually involved. Understanding African Traditional Religion. Another generalization about Africa is that they are all corrupt. These can be found all over the Americas and Europe. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Loosely, it encompasses all African beliefs and practices that are considered religious but neither Christian nor Islamic. Myths, folklores proverbs therefore become the major sources of African philosophy (Jaja, 1995:28). The unending political banditry and fraudulent activities by some individuals are the foundation of this stereotype. Courtesy of Stevenson, Amsterdam/Cape Town/Johannesburg. ao Ajima OM, Ubana EU (2018) The Concept . Giving opportunity to stereotypes like Africa are poor and Africa is corrupt. Copyright 2023 President and Fellows of Harvard College. South Africa, Tunisia, and Kenya rank among the top countries with the best health care system in Africa. In digging up facts I found that, while many Africans say that homosexuality is un-African, African culture is no stranger to homosexual behaviours and acts. Traditional African religions are not stagnant but highly dynamic and constantly reacting to various shifting influences such as old age, modernity, and technological advances. Through their mixing, a new kind of religion emerged, forming the basis for what we have come to know as African diaspora religion. Similarly, there are others like Henry Louis Gates who has appropriated images of the Yoruba deity of Esu in his own work. Igbo religion is traditional according to Mbiti (1970), in the sense that it is rooted in their culture.It is received by oral authority by one generation and transmitted by the same process to subsequent generations and, thus, has effect of being widely diffused among its adherents and of deeply coloring their consciousness. Inasmuch as androcentric authority is more prominent within social structures and systems and patriarchy is more pronounced in the social order, women are considered the cornerstone of the African family system.19 The African mother is a vibrant life force, central to African religious understandings of the interrelatedness between the human and the divine, as she embodies the production and sustaining of life. While some countries are hot most of the year, other countries experience different types of weather. Header Photo:Traditional African Necklace Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Copyright 2016-2022, The Interfaith Observer | Site by FaithlabTIO is part of the Religica Theolab inside the Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement (CEIE) at Seattle University, Donna Bollinger Tapped to Lead Religions for Peace-USA, Interfaith Themes in Sub-Saharan African Tales (for Kids), Interreligious Literacy and Why It Matters, Religious Literacy & the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Thou Shalt Not Hate: The Role of Religious Actors in Addressing Hate Speech, When Wiccans & Evangelical Christians Become Friends, The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative: A Case Study of Religious Literacy, The Chinese Jews of Kaifeng (and what Ive learned from them), Reimagining Interfaith: Taking Our Lead from Kids. My earlier scholarship was propelled by the insight that the ideology and rituals of Yoruba sacred kingship are what define Yoruba civil religion and, indeed, the center of Yoruba identity.15 Sociologist Robert Bellah understands civil religion as the sacred principle and central ethic that unites a people, without which societies cannot function.16 Civil religion incorporates common myths, history, values, and symbols that relate to a societys sense of collective identity. For example, in my local language . They still hold onto their traditional beliefs, culture, and practices, but consider western values superior to theirs. They held the view that twins were a symbol of excessive fertility which is a characteristic of animals. Every tribe and culture have their beliefs and way of life. His many publications include African Religions: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2014); City of 201 Gods: Il-If in Time, Space, and the Imagination (University of California Press, 2011); and Kingship, Religion, and Rituals in a Nigerian Community: A Phenomenological Study of Ondo Yoruba Festivals (Almqvist & Wiksell, 1991), which has become a model for ethnographic research among Yoruba-speaking communities. To understand the social, cultural context of pregnancy, childbirth and subsequent maternal and child care and to use this information for . There are female priestesses, diviners, and other figures, and many feminist scholars have drawn from these traditions to advocate for womens rights and the place of the feminine in African societies. One reason that might account for the gap in African history is the unavailability of any written document. African traditional religious beliefs in East Africa. The Hausa man is different from the Igbo man who is also different from the Yoruba man. Africa is the second-largest continent in the world. those misconceptions and misrepresentations of the facts pre sented by Eurocent . According to theologian Tony Evans, W. E. B. A frica has 54 countries and more than a billion people. This view wasnt held in many other tribes in Nigeria. Many foreign nations and organizations do send aid to African countries. Africa is often seen as a poor Country and one that cant do without the help of the western world. Although many African languages do not have a word for religion as such, it nevertheless accompanies the individual from long before his birth to long after his physical death. The Mursi religion is classified as Animism. Once again, this is far from the truth. In the case of the Yoruba kings and their people, sacred kingship formed a sacred canopy that sheltered the followers of each of the three major traditionsIslam, Christianity, and African traditional religionforging bonds of community identity among followers of the different traditions. Ritual enables supernatural beings to bless individuals and the community with sustenance, prosperity, and fecundity.14 Rites of passage, such as initiation ceremonies, are rituals marking personal transitions recognized and celebrated by the community. These countries are often very hot. One of the most ridiculous myths about it is that homosexuality did not exist in the continent until white men imported it. Kofi Johnson Fayetteville State University kjohnson@uncfsu.edu. Another crucial aspect to consider in the comparative study of African religions is the reality of the transfer of these religions across the Atlantic through the Middle Passage and transnational migration and cultural exchange. The misconception about African religion Man generally is given to misconception especially in the midst of conflicting ideas or contending issues. Among its one billion inhabitants, more than 1,000 languages are spoken, and there is a massive variety of ethnic religions. What we know as African history today is mostly based on the interpretations of our colonial masters. Women play a key role in the practice of these traditions, and the internal gender relations and dynamics are very profound. Religious contexts are shaped and determined by the identity of these religions. We must be careful not to give the impression that African religious lives are compartmentalized into what is often called the triple heritage (Islam, Christianity, and African traditional religion). African Cosmology. Since growth and innovation come as a pair, it is impossible to say that African countries are growing without being innovative. Based on sacred narratives, these traditions espoused their unique worldviews, defining cosmologies, ritual practices, sociopolitical frameworks, and ethical standards, as well as social and personal identity. The formation of African diasporic religions in the crucible of forced and voluntary migrations of Africans from the continent from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries led to the intermingling of African religions with Christianity and local cultures of the Transatlantic to form novel religious expressions. The traditional approach of indigenous African religions to gender is one of complementarity in which a confluenceof male and female forces must operate in harmony. As the late African historian Cheikh Anta Diop argued, matriarchy was embedded in the African way of life. Africans combine a belief in the existence of a omnipresent and omnipotent supreme god, with multitudes of subordinate deities. In African traditional religions guidance is provided through myths, which are handed down orally. African countries like Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya are among the fastest-growing economies in the world. The problem is, this number is often collated for the whole of Africa, instead of each country of Africa. It deals with their cosmology, ritual practices, symbols, arts, society, and so on. With exception of those who take history classes, the majority of young Africans will fail to elaborately tell the story of their origin. Prior to colonization, there was scarcely any form of writing in the majority of African tribes and cultures. . 9. Here Are the Top Ten African Volunteer Programs, 9 Traditional African Music Instruments And Their Origin, 8 Traditional African Sports That Should Be In the Olympics, economic forecasts predict the rapid growth in the African Market, 10 Traditional African Hairstyles And Their Origin. . The much-cited dictum by the doyen of African religious studies, the recently deceased John Mbiti, that Africans are notoriously religious still holds true (though I prefer to use the word deeply).1 While, officially, statistics suggest that African Christians and Muslims constitute about 80 percent of the total population, and African indigenous religion constitutes about 20 percent, these statistics do not reflect the truth of the African situation. Though many Africans have converted to Islam and Christianity, traditional religions still inform the social, economic, and political life in African societies. The colonial masters sold the idea that the long-held tradition and believes of the African people is savage, inferior, and primitive. However, the missionaries of the two foreign religions succeeded in converting some African people to the new religions. This is based on misconceptions that these religions are antithetical to . There are quite a number of revival groups and movements whose main aim is to ensure that the tenants and practice of African indigenous religion that are threatened survive. The story is the same in the political sphere. The debate regarding the continuity between African traditional religion and Christianity has been raging since the early 19th century. Bolaji Idowu, John Mbiti, Wande Abimbola, Benjamin Ray, Gabriel Setiloane, Laura Grillo, Aloysius Lugira, Kofi Asare Opoku, Emefie Ikenga-Metuh, Charles Long, and others attempted to imbue African traditions with the vitality, status, and identity that is now finally recognized. Please note: The oral nature of these traditions allows for a great deal of adaptability and variation within and between indigenous African religions. The area of study is Buganda in Uganda. As scholars of the comparative study of religions in Africa, we must begin to rethink the study of African religion in the twenty-first century in order to avoid the continuous mis-assessment of the resilience of indigenous traditions. Another misbelief about Africa is that all Africans are the same. These elements are worth exploring and espousing. It is incorrect to assume that conversion to Islam or to Christianity dealt a deathblow to indigenous traditions. An example is the Ancient Benin Kingdom, known for its impressive artwork which is now scattered across the world. 8. Like Mbiti and Green, Magesa notes that the world of African Traditional Religion is a hierarchically ordered place where, God is seen as the Great ancestor, the first Founder and the Progenitor, the Giver of Life behind everything that exists. Misconception 1: "Entire North Africa natively speaks Arabic.". Religions such as Candombl, Vodun, Santeria, and the Caribbean and Orisa tradition historically came about from African transactions with the new world and the old Euro-Christian worldview. African spirituality more generallyand Nigerian spirituality in particularis shaped by how individuals in their daily existence make sense of their interactions with religious experience. The challenge is to study faith, proverbs, traditions and mythology across Africa to identify the fragments of religion passed down as oral traditions and mythology in the great . The diviner, therefore, is also a counselor, psychologist, medicine man or woman, and the spiritual guardian of villages and towns. Therefore, this article will explore African spirituality, traditional religion, culture and the present way of life. In response to this verse, Ifa defines its own pilgrimage tradition in the rituals of the climbing of Oke Itase (Ifa Hill), the home of Ifa, when the Araba of Ifa in quiet solitude leads the devotee to the top of the sacred temple of Ifa. When it comes to cryptocurrencies, African countries are leading as well. there is a diversity of religion in Africa; rather, it is the extent of that diversity and the degree to which the term 'African traditional religion' might misleadingly mask both that extent and the mutability of the forms it encompasses. Traditional African religions are less of faith traditions and more of lived traditions. 1 While, officially, statistics suggest that African . The story of Mary Slessor and the killing of twins is popular. Required fields are marked *. Religion occupies a reasonable space in the life of the traditional African/Igbo people.
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