Its almost as if pre-colonial Africa never existed. 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. When I was in Israel a few years ago, I stayed in a modest bed-and-breakfast inn near the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. They are less concerned with doctrines and much more so with rituals . 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. Reclaim the Ancestral Traditions of African Religion! Gender dynamics are important in African indigenous religions and in cultural systems, so much so that women goddesses and women-invented rituals are commonplace. South Africa, as a member state of the World Health Organisation, has been set on the path of institutionalising African traditional medicine. Published. 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 leaders are also investing heavily in diversifying the economy. Little wonder John Mbiti, a famous African theologian said, Wherever the African is, there is his religion. A common stereotype about Africa is that the continent is poverty-stricken, full of corruption, and always at war. Myth: Slavery is a product of Western civilization. Africa is a Continent Full of Corruption, Poverty and War. Furthermore the issue of whether ATR should be called in singular or plural is another issue causing problems in the study of african tradional religion. Marriage customs in Africa vary from one tribe to another. It all depends on the time of the year. 3. nanseezy@gmail.com Teaching Assistant, Department of History University of Cape Coast, Ghana "The essence of neo-colonialism is that the State which is subject to it is, in theory, independent and has all the outward . The unending political banditry and fraudulent activities by some individuals are the foundation of this stereotype. African traditional religion, and that researcher a should "bracket" their faith and prejudicethey might have about Africa and its people. It arose through a process of syncretism between several traditional religions of West and Central Africa and Roman Catholicism.There is no central authority in control of the religion and much diversity exists among practitioners, who are known as Vodouists, Vodouisants, or Serviteurs. So, why was it the negative stories about killing of twins that were promoted? When he heard that I came from Nigeria, he wanted to display his knowledge of Ocha tradition as a devotee of Oxhosi, God of Thunder in Afro-Brazilian heritage. The orthodox Easternize it. 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. Indeed indigenous African religions have provided the blueprint for robust conversations and thinking about community relations, interfaith dialogue, civil society, and civil religion. 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. This is based on misconceptions that these religions are antithetical to . Mursi girl in Ethiopia. Scholarship has since proved, however, that the tenacity of indigenous religion is evident in all spheres of African life. 6. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. As spirits, the ancestors are more powerful than living humans, and they continue to play a role in community affairs after their deaths, acting as intermediaries between God and those still living.6 Finally, I would add that Africans live their faith rather than compartmentalize it into something to be practiced on certain days or in particular places. Today, several myths are mixed with facts in describing African traditional religion. b. certain clan outsiders. 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. African religions are, therefore, a praxis, and this is where the focus of study should mostly be directed. So it is the responsibility of the religious leaders in these . 2. One approach is to outline, in a systematic way, the essential features of these traditions without paying much attention to whether or not the traditions fit into the pattern of religions already mapped out by Western theologians and historians, who use Western religious traditions as the standard by which to measure religions in other parts of the world. Later in my academic life, I explored theoretical issues at the national level, showing how Nigerian civil religionan invisible faithprovided a template for assessing how we fared at nation building, allowing the symbols of Nigerian nationhood to take on religious significance for the Nigerian public above and beyond any particular cultural communities of faith.17 I do not want to be misunderstood here. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. If you take these reports at face value, you may start to believe that all Africans are poor. on. 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. To understand the social, cultural context of pregnancy, childbirth and subsequent maternal and child care and to use this information for . God is the first Initiator of a people's way of Life, its tradition. Therefore for these people, twins were treasures. .pagination {display: none !important} Fact: Slavery is virtually a universal institution. 1 While, officially, statistics suggest that African . While some Christian mission historians, such as J. D. Y. Peel, for example, correctly argue that the Yoruba had their own enlightenment (Olaju), this is always presented in the context of Christian conversion and is very much tied to the escalating Christian missionary movement. This article analyses the legal processes of recognising customary and religious (Muslim) marriages in South Africa's constitutional democracy. A primary goal of parenting is to transmit values, beliefs and ideas around lifestyles based on cultural knowledge of the adult tasks and competencies needed for appropriate functioning in society (Gershoff, 2002; Harrison, Wilson, Pine, Chon & Buriel, 1990). Consequently, despite all of Christianity and Islams claims to dominance and their propagandist machinery in demonizing indigenous religion, African religion still provides significant meaning to African existence in many ways. Why is this important to our understanding of African indigenous religions? For this reason, in many parts of Africa, the communal aspects of such rituals have been retained, due to their salience, while the circumcision practice has been dispensed with altogether, due to the health risks associated with it; this is the case among the Maasai in Kenya and in Somali culture, both in Djibouti and Somalia. Ifa rejects the religious extremism of certain forms of radical Islam making life unbearable in todays world. Information was passed down mostly by oral communication in the form of folk tales. Africans engaged Western enlightenment and religious traditions in serious dialogue and conversation, and responded by creating and interpreting their own modernity. Many sources define African worship as ancestral worship which is wrong. Perhaps this is because the traditional African system was dependent on the oral form of communication. The more modern incarnation of this ancient African religionVoodooemerged as a unique blend of Catholic and African magical and religious rites. Take for instance the story of poverty in Africa. However, the so-called white wedding is Western culture. Voodoo, however, is a dynamic religion with no standardized dogma. And why should our work in critical theory not begin from indigenous hermeneutics before we invoke Martin Heidegger, Michel Foucault, or Jrgen Habermas as platforms for interpreting our own worldview and society? The idea that Africa is unsafe while statistics say otherwise shows how much misconception there is about Africa. The colonial masters brought with them a new religion which they believe to be superior to African traditional religion. Ifa defines Yoruba humanity, providing responses to critical issues of its communities. I did ancestry and, This is the genuine list of best African president. Voodoo is a religion that originates in Africa. As in the Muslim pilgrimage, it is a solemn journey to the hilltop. 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. Just as rituals are an expression of this . However, some African nations have become addicted to these aids and seem unable to function without them. Even in areas of Zimbabwe with easy access to Western-type delivery care, the majority of women are cared for and delivered by traditional birth attendants who are members of their extended family. Manage Settings 3. So, while Africans easily adopt Western traditions, will the West also be willing to adopt African traditions? Your email address will not be published. Given our current impending ecological crisis, indigenous African religions have a great deal to offer both African countries and the world at large. 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. All rights reserved. Significant as these studies are, there seems to be no systematic exploration of African traditions in African American culture.21. Although the slaves accepted Roman Catholicism, they did not give up their traditional beliefs either. Acceptably, this was a cruel act of ignorance, but like many other stories about African countries, this story is often generalized. 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. Orishas, Goddesses, and Voodoo Queens: The Divine Feminine in the African Religious Traditions. .p-summary {display: none !important} These one-sided stories or reports are among the major roots of stereotypes and myths about Africa. Traditional African religions are less of faith traditions and more of lived traditions. African Vibes is a one-stop global platform that connects the African diaspora to opportunities for growth, development, and social impact in Africa. African Cosmology. On the other hand, countries like South Africa, Morocco, and Tunisia sometimes experience snowfalls. This may not be as advanced as the western world, but its definitely not as bad as the media present it. Indigenous African religions contain a great deal of wisdom and insight on how human beings can best live within and interact with the environment. Colonization may seem to be over but for African traditional religion, it is not. 3. One reason that might account for the gap in African history is the unavailability of any written document. The Mursi religion is classified as Animism. According to theologian Tony Evans, W. E. B. Through their mixing, a new kind of religion emerged, forming the basis for what we have come to know as African diaspora religion. It is not unusual to see people living below the poverty line in nearly every country on earth. The truth is that people in some African countries lack access to education and resources, but they make the most of what they have. The African religious worldview is primarily indigenous, although Islam and Christianity continuously respond to its viability and strength through their transitive approaches, their theologies, and their knowledge systems. Furthermore, many in places like the US and the UK have converted to various traditional African religions, and the importance of the diaspora for these religions is growing rapidly. One could argue that colonization began with mental slavery. However, African traditional religion is resilient which explains its continued existence after so many years. Lets take the killing of twins as a case study. In fact, we should not misunderstand the notoriety in some people's religious life, just like On the other hand, the Yoruba people encountered Europeans in dialogue rather than monologue. But this was not an African thing. Women are revered in African traditions as essential to the cosmic balance of the world. d. politics, everyday life. Examples are mobile innovations such as Flutterwave, Sproxil, and Paystack. 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. 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