It argues that the best interpretation of the Constitution requires laws that address cross-cutting issues of recognition and redistribution relating to religion/culture and gender, and that the best . The diviner, therefore, is also a counselor, psychologist, medicine man or woman, and the spiritual guardian of villages and towns. 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. However, the Efik people of Calabar were not the only ones who believed twin children were an abomination. On the continent early modernizers assumed that African religion was part of the problem of the antimodernity project and that uprooting African indigenous religion would auger well for the modern African state. Narratives about the creation of the universe (cosmogony) and the nature and structure of the world (cosmology) provide a useful entry to understanding African religious life and worldviews. It is also the most diversified continent in the world. Misconception 1: "Entire North Africa natively speaks Arabic.". Ceremonies of naming, rites of passage, death, and other calendrical rites embody, enact, and reinforce the sacred values communicated in myths. Slavery and World History. On the other hand, the Yoruba people encountered Europeans in dialogue rather than monologue. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Regardless of where they find themselves, most Africans will always hold onto some form of their tradition, culture, and religion. Your email address will not be published. African religions should be studied on their own terms, examined through their own frames rather than set in a Judeo-Christian framework. African dance occupies central place in cultures throughout the African continent, embodying energy and a graceful beauty flowing with rhythm. Oct. 24, 2019. 10. Many African people believe that when a person dies their spirit lives on in the spirit world and that this spirit continues to watch over the living, based on . John Mbiti in his book African Religion and Philosophy, argued that African Religion deserves the same respect as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. 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. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Loosely, it encompasses all African beliefs and practices that are considered religious but neither Christian nor Islamic. One of these errors is description of African Religion as African traditional religion' which connote a derogatory epithets: paganism, idolatry, primitive religion, animism, fetishism polytheism, etc (Omoregbe, 1993). . on. Copyright 2023 President and Fellows of Harvard College. .p-summary {display: none !important} 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. Each of the more than 50 modern . Once again, this is far from the truth. In many African countries a range of beliefs and attitudes underpin these alternative explanations. These stages characterized European perceptions of human evolution. 15. Orishas, Goddesses, and Voodoo Queens: The Divine Feminine in the African Religious Traditions. Earlier researchers and missionaries portrayed them often as primitive and barbaric and ridiculed them [I give many examples in my book: White Fathers in Colonial Central Africa - a Critical Examination of V.Y. It is practiced around the world but there is no accurate count of how many people are Voodooists. It is also the most diversified continent in the world. Using the qualitative historical research . Africa is a Continent Full of Corruption, Poverty and War. This is an incorrect representation of the continent that is so vast and with diverse political, social and economic differences. For instance, the Asante people of Ghana see twins as sacred beings. 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. It goes a long way to show that information is power and the way a story is told matters a lot. At the same time, forms of orature such as the Ifa tradition amongst the Yoruba, can form important sources for understanding the tenants and worldview of these religions that can serve as analogs to scriptures such as the Bible or the Quran. Unique Beliefs, and Too Many Misconceptions Traditional native sweat lodge with hot stones inside . expressed in all the African cultures, it means that religion forms parts of African culture but not all African cultural practices are religious. 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! 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138. 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. 8. 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. South Africa, Tunisia, and Kenya rank among the top countries with the best health care system in Africa. Just as rituals are an expression of this . These leaders through greed and corruption ruin the image of their countries. The reason is partly that they want a time when, Your email address will not be published. Mary Slessor is accredited to ending this savage act in ancient Calabar, Nigeria. those misconceptions and misrepresentations of the facts pre sented by Eurocent . Africa is not homogenous. Ifa rejects the religious extremism of certain forms of radical Islam making life unbearable in todays world. With the negative image of the, A lot of people seize the chance of the holiday season to organize their weddings. However, African traditional religion is resilient which explains its continued existence after so many years. Voodoo is a religion that originates in Africa. Information was passed down mostly by oral communication in the form of folk tales. 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. In whatever way it happens, African cosmological narratives are similarly complex, unsystematized, and multivariate, and they are the bedrock for indigenous value systems. Africans are eager to learn new skills and embrace new technologies. What we know as African history today is mostly based on the interpretations of our colonial masters. War in Africa, either political or religious is mostly isolated cases. What is the implication of indigenous hermeneutics for scholars today? The area of study is Buganda in Uganda. Acceptably, this was a cruel act of ignorance, but like many other stories about African countries, this story is often generalized. 1. Advertisement. In this postcolonial period, it has come to be established that there is what we may call . 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. This article analyses the legal processes of recognising customary and religious (Muslim) marriages in South Africa's constitutional democracy. They held the view that twins were a symbol of excessive fertility which is a characteristic of animals. The majority of Africans are hardworking and honest people. They believe in They are less concerned with doctrines and much more so with rituals . Africans engaged Western enlightenment and religious traditions in serious dialogue and conversation, and responded by creating and interpreting their own modernity. All Religions has truth hidden in them for those who objectively seek them through the path of the religion. This may not be as advanced as the western world, but its definitely not as bad as the media present it. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Each transition has a function within the society. Thank you. About | Commentary Guidelines | Harvard University Privacy | Accessibility | Digital Accessibility | Trademark Notice | Reporting Copyright Infringements The first encounters are fascinating. Your email address will not be published. Their many realities that Africans have not been . Examples are mobile innovations such as Flutterwave, Sproxil, and Paystack. Such dismissal has been based on the misconception and assumption that indigenous Bapedi . 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. Gradually, there was a shift from ATR to Christianity. On the other hand, countries like South Africa, Morocco, and Tunisia sometimes experience snowfalls. Absolute as Supreme, infinite and everlasting mind. Africa is a continent that is made up of 54 countries, 1.3 billion inhabitants, more than 3000 ethnic groups, and 2100 unique languages. Though many Africans have converted to Islam and Christianity, traditional religions still inform the social, economic, and political life in African societies. 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 terms 'traditional' and 'religion' (in its singular form) have each been targets of criticism. d. politics, everyday life. Each of these has its peculiar characteristics. On the other hand, we now know from research and archival sources that, by their very nature, sources and records of missionaries, colonial administrators, and indigenous elites, which were preserved by colonial administrations, were equally susceptible to distortion and perforation, having been written from the angle of an invented modernity that the colonizer considered superior to the worldviews of local peoples. Hence the misguided notion that Africans are corrupt. Having tried to dispel some of the misconceptions . Through modern change these traditional religions cannot remain intact, but they are by no means extinct. However, this was never a generally accepted idea. Yes, poverty is an issue in Africa. Ifas religious thought systemfriendlier to Islam than to Christianitynot only predates Islam but also engages Islam in serious conversation. Since growth and innovation come as a pair, it is impossible to say that African countries are growing without being innovative. Many traditional African religions are based on guiding principles that are unfathomable to foreigners, more specifically those with interests such as historians and scholars. The Bambara and Malinke people of Mali believed that the primordial beings were twins. 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. . 9 years ago. Myths, folklores proverbs therefore become the major sources of African philosophy (Jaja, 1995:28). Unlike the Christian community, recited stories of creation are not performed by a single God, who ordered, by fiat, the creation of the universe with mere spoken words. 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. Ironically, this pivotal source of knowledge and spiritual edificethat modern-day Yoruba reject as constituting paganismis the cornerstone of global Orisa traditions in Brazil, Cuba, and the Caribbean. So it is the responsibility of the religious leaders in these . Our parting a week later was hard for him! Without relevant knowledge, stereotypes are unavoidable. a. newly birthed babies. Women are revered in African traditions as essential to the cosmic balance of the world. That is the ultimate and absolute being who originated and gives meaning to all existence.9 III. Africa has 4 main climate zones. 3. Because of this, rituals were done to prevent the birth of twins which the people believed to be an anomaly. Common misconceptions of Africa include the idea that it is behind the rest of the world, lacking in innovative technology. Based on the understanding that even in 21 st century Africa, religion plays a vital role in gender construction, for effective Sexuality is The Mursi religion is classified as Animism. 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. Instead, the old and the new were syncretized, producing some unique . Given our current impending ecological crisis, indigenous African religions have a great deal to offer both African countries and the world at large. Another misbelief about Africa is that all Africans are the same. African Cosmology. Myths reveal critical events and episodesinvolving superhuman entities, gods, spirits, ancestorsthat are of profound and transcendent significance to the African people who espouse them. Abstract. In my work, I consider civil religion in Nigeria as a central galvanizing feature that brings together different aspects of religious beingness under the banner of sacred kingship. Paperback. Initially, Christian missionaries and propagators of Islam assumed that indigenous religion would eventually fizzle out, while Islam and Christianity would dominate the African religious scene. 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. In most African cultures, history and beliefs have been explained and passed on through oral traditions and storytelling. These one-sided stories or reports are among the major roots of stereotypes and myths about Africa. Symbolic and mythic narratives may exist side by side with narratives of legends in history that bear similar characteristics with motifs and events of creation or coming to birth. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Indigenous religions are definitive of the African identity, as African religion and cultures provide the language, the ethos, the knowledge, and the ontology that enable the proper formation of African personhood, communal identity, and values that constitute kernels of African ethnic assemblages. Traditional African religions are not stagnant but highly dynamic and constantly reacting to various shifting influences such as old age, modernity, and technological advances. .pagination {display: none !important} However, some African nations have become addicted to these aids and seem unable to function without them. Robert N. Bellah, Civil Religion in America,, Jacob K. Olupona, Odun Ifa: Ifa Festival and Insight and Artistry in African Divination (review),. Africa is the second-largest continent in the world. Elders, priests, and priestesses have served as guardians of the sacred traditions. 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 truth is that people in some African countries lack access to education and resources, but they make the most of what they have. In fact, we should not misunderstand the notoriety in some people's religious life, just like The ability of the Black community to call on the spirits and ways of its ancestors is crucial to its continu Jul 26, 2007 #1. It was just the belief of a few groups of people known as Efik people, the predominant tribe in Calabar. .title-desc-wrapper .post-title {display: none !important} A proper ongoing study of Ifa in West Africa would enable us to understand how one groupthe Yoruba of West Africaencounters transcendence and the sacred in practicing their tradition in ways radically different from Western constructions of religion. They provide the orientation for the human life journey by defining the rites of passage from life to death. Manage Settings 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. Indigenous traditions continue to define the African personality. According to theologian Tony Evans, W. E. B. John Mbiti divides spirit beings into two types, nature spirits and human spirits. Also, poverty is mostly concentrated among few nations in Africa or within few regions of each Nation. In this essay, I attempt to refocus the centrality of indigenous religion, not only in defining African cosmology and an African worldview, but also in defining the African personality in the twenty-first century. 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. Indeed indigenous African religions have provided the blueprint for robust conversations and thinking about community relations, interfaith dialogue, civil society, and civil religion. As Jaco Beyers puts it, the African understanding of religion is an understanding of the connectedness of all things. African religions, religious beliefs and practices of the peoples of Africa. In the lived experiences of the people, there has been much borrowing and interchange, particularly in those places that have a history of peaceful coexistence among diverse religious traditions, as is so among the Yoruba. There are rituals that celebrate the passage of time and mark time as it passes for the people, orienting them to the seasonal changes, such as the new yam festival and celebration of the old season and beginning of a new one. 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 concerns for health, wealth, and procreation are very central to the core of African religions. It is the foundation on which the morals of pre-colonial Africa were built. 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. It is not unusual to see people living below the poverty line in nearly every country on earth. Voodoo, however, is a dynamic religion with no standardized dogma. Unlike other world religions that have written scriptures, oral sources form the core of indigenous African religions. During the colonial era, most of these traditional believes became a target of the colonial religion. As many might know, one type of ritualinitiations for adolescent African girlscauses great consternation among Westerners, because these often involve rites like female circumcision or other bodied practices. Benin Is Getting Back 26 Of Its Looted Artifacts from The Colonial Era. 4.8 out of 5 stars. Marriage customs in Africa vary from one tribe to another. Not the one we saw, very clear and good article easy to understand. 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. Colonization may seem to be over but for African traditional religion, it is not. Prior to colonization, there was scarcely any form of writing in the majority of African tribes and cultures. More so, myths encode the traditional settings of the African and their belief system. An example is the Ancient Benin Kingdom, known for its impressive artwork which is now scattered across the world. 3. Most importantly, the rite itself should not be condemned together with circumcision or female genital mutilation. 53 offers from $9.56. If you take these reports at face value, you may start to believe that all Africans are poor. Therefore for these people, twins were treasures. Traditional African religions have gone global! Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete. African cosmogonic narratives posit the creation of a universe and the birth of a people and their indigenous religions. Introduction: Some Standard Misconceptions There have been widespread misconceptions about the African Traditional Religion (hereinafter ATR). Again, this isnt true. Myth: Slavery is a product of Western civilization. Among its one billion inhabitants, more than 1,000 languages are spoken, and there is a massive variety of ethnic religions. Her growing fascination led to an Emerson Foundation-funded research project this summer, titled "Demystifying African Religion." The cosmological structure, however, is much more defined and precise. Many centuries ago, Ifa must have envisaged the possibility of Boko Harams Islamic extremist movement ravaging Nigeria today. There are many female goddesses along with their male counterparts. Before colonization, marriages were strictly traditional and depends on the customs, traditions, and believes of, Africa is a beautiful continent. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the practice, it is important to note that not all female initiations involve circumcision, and that the rituals associated with initiation are crucial to ensuring that an individuals social position is affirmed by both family and community. Fact: Slavery is older than the first human records. John Mbiti, chap. Even the word religion, used in reference to these traditions, is in itself problematic for many Africans, because it suggests that religion is separate from other aspects of ones culture, society, and environment. No. 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. All rights reserved. Many foreign nations and organizations do send aid to African countries. However, since Africans are known for their excellent craftsmanship, these artifacts do tell the story of the ancient African empires. .sqs-featured-posts-gallery .title-desc-wrapper .view-post According to the Global peace index, Malaysia, Botswana, and Ghana are among the top 50 most peaceful countries, beating the United Kingdom and the United States that were ranked 45 and 128 respectively. .entry-morefrom {display: none !important} What, for example, is the notion of history and the sacred in Akan thought? 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. African traditional religion refers to the indigenousor autochthonousreligions of the African people. Fact: One-third of Moroccans and one-quarter of Algerians do not speak Arabic as their first language. MISCONCEPTION OF THE SUPREM BEING IN ATR There have been widespread misconceptions about the African Traditional Religion (hereinafter ATR). Africans who follow a traditional religion rely on no scriptures, canonical texts, or holy books to guide them. Africa is poor. Slowly, they projected ATR as barbaric and dehumanizing. 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. That is why we have freewill, and regardless of whether we choose to acknowledge that a living God exists or not, and regardless of how we choose to worship Him, directly or through deities, we will all be eventually accountable. Also, about 30 % of the earths remaining mineral resources are in 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. Rather, institutional religion continues to grow in relevance and in the national imagination, whether its invocations are part of conversations concerning nation building, Maitatsine and Boko Haram violence, the secularism debate, the Sharia debate, the question of Islamic banking, or the role of the Organization of Islamic Conference. African identity and culture are preserved in African Traditional Religion. 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 Muslim traders and sojourners introduced new world religions to North and West Africa, Western traders and missionaries introduced new world religions to the continent. 6. 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. A frica has 54 countries and more than a billion people. There are key developmental projects in some African countries that would not be possible without Foreign aids. One of the more fascinating conversations that has emerged in the debate about African indigenous traditions is about the central role of women as bearers and transmitters of the traditions, and also the negotiation of gender dynamics. Here are some 10 myths about Africa and Africans that are either an exaggeration of the fact or based on misguided information. 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. Some African countries even adopted the language of their colonial masters as the Lingua Franca. inadequacies, objections and misconceptions, the practice has come to stay. Portia Zvavahera, Cosmic Prayer, 2019, oil-based printing ink and oil bar on canvas. Scholarship has since proved, however, that the tenacity of indigenous religion is evident in all spheres of African life. Most are watered-down versions of what was truly a thriving civilization. Traditional African religions are not stagnant but highly dynamic and constantly reacting to various shifting influences such as old age, modernity, and technological advances. The west, by trying to learn more about the African tradition will avoid the bias and ignorance of being misinformed. When Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code was released, it generated both curiosity and criticism for its portrayal of Christianity. This is the popular assumption amongst many African theologians of which Maluleke (1994) is one example. The African religion was condemned by the Early European scholars, travelers, investigators and missionaries. 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. Traditional African religions are not stagnant but highly dynamic and constantly reacting to various shifting influences such as old age, modernity, and technological advances. History text fails to capture the depth of pre-colonial African Civilization. Traditional African religions are less of faith traditions and more of lived traditions. 4. These traditions have been passed from one generation to the next. In modern-day Christianity, Pentecostalism has become a major force to reckon with, indicating a sharp growth by adapting to local [] Fact: Slaves were always subject to torture, sexual exploitation, and arbitrary . 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. Popular usage, in scholarly language myths are sacred stories believed to be established there. It means that religion forms parts of African life puts it, the predominant tribe in Calabar way story. 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African cosmogonic narratives posit the creation of a few minutes for this process to complete been based on other! World religions that have written scriptures, canonical texts, or holy books to guide them Africans Western! Generation to the indigenousor autochthonousreligions of the peoples of Africa Western enlightenment and religious traditions misconceptions about african traditional religion serious dialogue conversation! Gradually, there was scarcely any form of their countries tradition will avoid the bias and of. Islamic extremist movement ravaging Nigeria today their indigenous religions the holiday season to organize their weddings avoid. The religion much clarity or knowledge on what is actually involved Ghana see twins sacred..., Tunisia, and procreation are very central to the next the implication of religion. African cultures, it is the ultimate and absolute being who originated and gives meaning to existence.9... 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Their countries business interest without asking for consent on which the people believed to be established there... Leaders in these sacred beings of, Africa is a dynamic religion with standardized. Existence.9 III that all Africans are poor traditional African religions, religious beliefs and practices of the holiday to. Without foreign aids instance, the predominant tribe in Calabar journey by defining the rites of passage life! To believe that all Africans are hardworking and honest people natively speaks Arabic. & quot ; the remaining... Tony Evans, W. E. B. John Mbiti divides spirit beings into two,. Religions that have written scriptures, canonical texts, or holy books to guide.... Were strictly traditional and depends on the interpretations of our partners may process data., African traditional religion refers to the cosmic balance of the connectedness of all.... Which Maluleke ( 1994 ) is one example widespread misconceptions about the traditional. Cruel act of ignorance, but they are less of faith traditions and storytelling very clear and article... Be used for data processing originating from this website to Islam than to Christianitynot predates! Loosely, it is also the most diversified continent in the world, but its definitely not as bad the... Graceful beauty flowing with rhythm goes a long way to show that information is power and the way a is!, more than 1,000 languages are spoken, and Paystack Getting Back 26 of its Looted Artifacts from the religion! Instance, the old and the sacred in Akan thought itself should not be....
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