There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. The idea is that the traditional African practitioner who constructed that amulet believes in the efficacy of other faiths and religions; there is no conflict in his mind between his traditional African spirituality and another faith. One African theologian, Gabriel Setiloane, has even argued that the concept of God which the missionaries presented to the Sotho-Tswana peoples was a devaluation of the traditional currency of Modimo (God) among the Sotho-Tswana. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. Olupona, professor of indigenous African religions at Harvard Divinity School and professor of African and African-American studies in Harvards Faculty of Arts and Sciences, recently sat down for an interview about his lifelong research on indigenous African religions. There is some regional difference in ritual practice across Haiti, and branches of the religion include Rada, Daome, Ibo, Nago, Dereal, Manding, Petwo, and Kongo. 0000008365 00000 n They do this by having Africans increasingly identify themselves as either Muslim or Christian, thus denying their unique African worldview that has always viewed as evidenced in their creation myths everything as unified and connected to the land, the place were ones clan, lineage, and people were cosmically birthed. 0000000676 00000 n Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. That book was followed by a flurry of literature on the so-called "death of God" theology (if "theology" it was, for I would call it "atheology"). Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. The numerous traditional African religions have in common the notion of a creator god, who made the world and then withdrew, remaining remote from the concerns of human life. Consequently, traditional Africans have different ideas on what role the ancestors play in the lives of living descendants. 0000001198 00000 n In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, between 10% and 15% of respondents are Muslim. A prominent European New Testament professor visited Makerere University and interviewed me on what I thought about the "death of God" discussion. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God. Vodou represents a syncretism of the West African Vodun religion and Roman Catholicism by the descendants of the Dahomean, Kongo, Yoruba, and other ethnic groups who had been enslaved and transported to colonial Saint-Domingue (as Haiti was known then) and partly Christianized by Roman Catholic missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries. (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). Regardless of the variation, it is still true that Nigeria has both the largest number of Muslims and the largest number of Christians in the region. These were not empty names. Amen. No viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there. A conference of mainly African theologians, held in Ghana in December 1977, said in its final communiqu: "The God of history speaks to all peoples in particular ways. "The success of Christianity and Islam on the African continent in the last 100 years has been extraordinary, but it has been, unfortunately, at the expense of African indigenous religions," said Olupona. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. There are also other parallels in social, political and cultural areas, just as there are some significant differences. Syncretistic movements in the Orient, such as Manichaeism (a dualistic religion founded by the 3rd-century-ce Iranian prophet Mani, who combined elements of Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism) and Sikhism (a religion founded by the 15th16th-century Indian reformer Guru Nnak, who combined elements of Islam and Hinduism), also met with resistance from the prevailing religions of their respective areas. OLUPONA: One of the basic reasons is that indigenous African spiritual beliefs are not bound by a written text, like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. endobj On returning home, the learned professor wrote an article using my brief answer as his title. Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. This was an extremely liberating word in my theological thinking. There are other areas of exploration in which I continue to be engaged. In February 1974 a group of 120 anthropologists launched the Canadian Ethnology Society/socit canadienne d'ethnologie (CESCE), because they felt there was room for an association of anthropologists separate from the Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association (CSAA) which was dominated by sociologists. Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? The introduced religions of Islam (in northern Africa) and Christianity (in southern Africa) are now the continents major religions, but traditional religions still play an important role, especially in the interior of sub-Saharan Africa. Par consquent, Mbali-Dieu est la rponse crative des Biras une rencontre religieuse syncrtique. Dr. Mbiti is on the staff of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland. Olupona earned his bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975. In these congregations, knowledge is passed on through a ritual of initiation (kanzo) in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation. They are not mutually exclusive. I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. I should add that without claiming to be full members of indigenous traditions, there are many professed Christians and Muslims who participate in one form of indigenous religious rituals and practices or another. I have met here the church not only in its geographical outreach but also in its historical roots -- seeing, for example, the rich traditions of the Orthodox Church, the universality of the Roman Catholic Church (even though it is based in the Vatican), the reconciling positioning of the Anglican Communion, the dynamic vitality of African independent churches, and so on. At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. In four countries (Chad, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria and Tanzania), the number of Christians and Muslims is more equally divided, with a ratio of less than two-to-one in either direction.2 The other countries surveyed are predominantly Christian with Muslim minorities of varying sizes. While Islam and Christianity tend to . That finished the interview. OLUPONA: If we lose traditional African religions, we would also lose or continue to seriously undermine the African practice of rites of passage such as the much cherished age-grade initiations, which have for so long integrated and bought Africans together under a common understanding, or worldview. Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. Their history has a theological meaning. Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners, and prophets. Since the Bible tells me that God is the Creator of all things, his activities in the world must clearly go beyond what is recorded in the Bible. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. interaction between the Christian churches and West African religious culture. In Africa the traditional religions are a major source for the study of the African experience of God. Wendy Sherman, who was the lead U.S. negotiator in the nuclear deal with Iran, was welcomed by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School. Ancestors can offer advice and bestow good fortune and honor to their living dependents, but they can also make demands, such as insisting that their shrines be properly maintained and propitiated. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Yet . OLUPONA: We would lose a worldview that has collectively sustained, enriched, and given meaning to a continent and numerous other societies for centuries through its epistemology, metaphysics, history, and practices. (back to text), 3 Nigerias 2006 census did not ask about religious affiliation, and recent estimates of the numbers of Muslims and Christians in the country vary. 0 Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. It is here that I have discovered the church in Burma, in the Pacific islands, the house church in China, the basic Christian communities in Latin America, the struggling church in South Africa, plus countless other endeavors of Christians all over the world. Updates? Vodou represents a syncretism of the West African Vodun religion and Roman Catholicism by the descendants of the Dahomean, Kongo, Yoruba, and other ethnic groups who had been enslaved and transported to colonial Saint-Domingue (as Haiti was known then) and partly Christianized by Roman Catholic . So, "Lord, help Thou my unbelief!" Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. The WCCs very existence as a council of churches is a living hope. 0000000016 00000 n The decisive word here is "only." But Gods dealings with the African people are recorded, nevertheless, in living form -- oral communication, rituals, symbols, ceremonies, community faith. So the church which exists on the African scene bears the marks of its peoples backgrounds. Vodou ritual activity (e.g., prayer, song, dance, and gesture) is aimed at refining and restoring balance and energy in relationships between people and between people and the spirits of the unseen world. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. Some of these African diaspora religions include Cuban Regla de Ocha, Haitian Vodou, and Brazilian Candomble. Traditional African religions and practices were brought to the Western hemisphere through the African diaspora and the slave trade, often resulting in a syncretic blending with Christianity. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. Indigenous African practices tend to be strongest in the central states of Africa, but some form of their practices and beliefs can be found almost anywhere in Africa. 0000015705 00000 n My doctoral studies in New Testament eschatology led me also to the field of Christology. Outline of the Curricular Framework: Anglicanization Atlantic slave trade "Atlantic World" Barbados (sugar) British-American system of slavery the Carolinas (rice) Caste system cereal crops Colonial resistance Dominion of New England Enlightenment Furs Great Awakening Indentured Servants Mercantilism Metis Models of colonization Molasses Act <> Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. Anthropologica is published for CASCA by University of Toronto Press. In particular, the concepts about God provide one area of great commonality. ), In addition to expressing high levels of belief in the protective power of sacrificial offerings and sacred objects, upwards of one-in-five people in every country say they believe in the evil eye, or the ability of certain people to cast malevolent curses or spells. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. They include the work of missionaries (of whom there are about 40,000 today, without counting their family members); the work of African Christians in evangelism and pastoral care (their numbers are infinitely greater than those of overseas missionaries, and include men, women and children, both lay and ordained); the role of Christian schools; the translation and distribution of the Bible (which is now available in full or in part in nearly 600 of Africas 1,000 languages); and the ending of the colonial era during the decades 1960-1980. 0000001586 00000 n Robinson, came out. A subscription to Anthropologica is included in CASCA's annual membership fee. When this happens, then a passage such as Hebrews 1:1-3 rolls down like mighty waters, full of exciting possibilities of theological reflection. But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. 0000005714 00000 n Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. (back to text), 2 The World Religion Database estimates that roughly four-in-ten people in Guinea Bissau are Muslim and approximately one-in-ten are Christian, with the rest of the population associated with traditional African religions. Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . As discussed elsewhere in this report, many Christians and Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa retain beliefs and rituals that are characteristic of traditional African religions. For instance, if we were to lose indigenous African religions in Africa, then diviners would disappear, and if diviners disappeared, we would not only lose an important spiritual specialist for many Africans, but also an institution that for centuries has been the repository of African history, wisdom, and knowledge. Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. An old African adage says: The sky is large enough for birds to fly around without one having to bump into the other.. The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. A magisterial historical synthesis of the formative period of African Christianity written by one of its foremost scholars. What is African Traditional Religion? %%EOF In most of the 19 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, 90% or more of the respondents say they belong to one of these faiths. While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. Indigenous African religions are by nature plural, varied, and usually informed by ones ethnic identity, where ones family came from in Africa. ancient Rome: Religious and cultural life in the 3rd century, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/religious-syncretism, Academia - Religious Syncretism as a Syncretistic Concept: The Inadequacy of the " World Religions " Paradigm in Cross-Cultural Encounter. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. Everywhere he went in southwestern Nigeria, he never opposed or spoke out against African culture including initiation rites, festivals, and traditional Yoruba dress as long as it didnt directly conflict with Christianity. 0000002884 00000 n The Church in Africa, 1450-1950. 93 0 obj There are also secret societies, called Bizango or Sanpwl, that perform a religio-juridical function. The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa are the only countries surveyed where a significant number of people (roughly one-in-ten) describe their religion as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular. In all the other countries, the figure is closer to zero. Important lwa are celebrated on saints days (for example: Ogou on St. Jamess Day, July 25; Ezili Danto on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16; Danbala on St. Patricks Day, March 17; and the spirits of the ancestors on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, November 1 and November 2). African immigrants and slaves worked to maintain traditional religious and social practices in their new surroundings. This is not an empty coincidence. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. In one case the thinking and experience of the people produced a written record of Gods dealings with the Jewish people in particular. Then was he not there in other times and in such places as Mount Fuji and Mount Kenya, as well as Mount Sinai? mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. Authoring or editing more than half a dozen books on religion and African culture (including the recent African Religions: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press), Olupona has researched topics ranging from the indigenous religions of Africa to the religious practices of Africans who have settled in America. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? The recipient of many prestigious academic honors and research fellowships, Olupona also received the 20152016 Reimar Lust Award for International and Cultural Exchange, considered one of Germanys most prestigious academic honors. This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. But I have discovered that there is also the fundamental factor of African religion, without which this phenomenal expansion of Christianity would not be a reality. The success of Christianity and Islam on the African continent in the last 100 years has been extraordinary, but it has been, unfortunately, at the expense of African indigenous religions. The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). Corrections? Its about getting tangible results. This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition . The fusion of cultures that was effected by the conquest of Alexander the Great (4th century bce ), his successors, and the Roman Empire tended to bring together a variety of religious and philosophical views that resulted in a strong tendency toward religious syncretism. {PB,`s It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. In addition, roughly a quarter or more of the population in 11 countries say they believe in the protective power of juju (charms or amulets), shrines and other sacred objects. National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Vodou's role in Haitian mental health, Learn Religions - An Introduction to the Basic Beliefs of the Vodou (Voodoo) Religion, Ancient Origins - The Origins of Voodoo, the Misunderstood Religion, LiveScience - Voodoo: Facts About Misunderstood Religion, Vodou - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Vodou - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. They will certainly be overwhelming, and I feel very excited about them. But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. In the 17th century a movement led by the German Protestant theologian George Calixtus aimed at reconciling the differences between the Protestants in Germany, but his efforts were disparaged by orthodox Christian leaders as syncretistic. One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. Subscriptions are available to libraries and individuals who are not members of CASCA. Spiritual activities like prayer, thanksgiving, and the making of sacrifices were well-established facts of life for the existence and continuation of the community. Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. A semi-annual journal, it publishes peer-reviewed articles in both French and English devoted to social and cultural issues whether they are pre-historic, historic, contemporary, biological, linguistic, applied or theoretical in orientation. African religion has equipped people to listen to the gospel, to discover meaningful passages in the Bible, and to avoid unhealthy religious conflict. This rapid spreading of the Christian faith where people have been predominantly followers of African religion provokes interesting questions. GAZETTE: What else would we lose if we lost traditional African Religions? For over 200 years, Africans, largely from the west coast of Africa, were brought to the United States in the slave trade. These impinge upon their daily life- and experience of the Christian faith. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). African scholars The fusion of cultures that was effected by the conquest of Alexander the Great (4th century bce), his successors, and the Roman Empire tended to bring together a variety of religious and philosophical views that resulted in a strong tendency toward religious syncretism. Their culture, history, world views and spiritual aspirations cannot be taken away from them. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The councils programs in response to these problems are impressive. 0000003641 00000 n At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. For six years I worked with the World Council of Churches in Geneva. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. 0000002264 00000 n Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. He later earned both an M.A. 1"7$X9Xyyyb GNpL!9I&mxo0++44cA@5c. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. No doubt there still remain much research and reflection to be done in order to work out a consistent theological understanding of the issues entailed here. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. I am tantalized by the fact that my vision cannot cope with that horizon. I am very excited, for example, by the estimate that in 1987 there will be a statistical balance of Christian population between the north (Europe, Soviet Union and America) and the south (Latin America, Africa, Asia and Oceania). We have already noted that the overseas missionaries did not bring God to Africa. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Since I myself had never heard any lectures on African religion, I set out to do research on the subject in order to teach the course adequately. Par contre, les croyances en la sorcellerie ont persist. But in practical terms, there is a Christian Yes to African religiosity. I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. The Yoruba, however, do have a concept of a supreme being, called Olorun or Olodumare, and this creator god of the universe is empowered by the various orisa [deities] to create the earth and carry out all its related functions, including receiving the prayers and supplications of the Yoruba people. These initiation rituals are already not as common in Africa as they were only 50 years ago, yet age-grade initiations have always helped young Africans feel connected to their community and their past. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. The Pew Forums survey finds a similar number of people in Guinea Bissau identifying themselves as Muslim (38%) but a much higher percentage identifying themselves as Christian (62%) and very few describing themselves mainly as practitioners of traditional African faiths. That which had been seen as the enemy of the gospel turns out (to me) to be indeed a very welcoming friend. But I am grateful for that one step I may be taking under the light of this vision. Ifa is an indispensable treasure trove of knowledge that cant be duplicated elsewhere; much of its knowledge has been handed down from babalawo [Ifa priest/diviner] to babalawo for centuries. In its place there emerged the word "also." Aujourd'hui, la plupart des Zariens sont soit catholiques, soit protestants; les Biras pour leur part sont principalement catholiques. They depended on the labor of enslaved Africans who often constituted the majority of the population in these areas and developed their own forms of cultural and religious autonomy Examples: plantation agriculture, the Carolinas (rice), Barbados (sugar), tobacco Colonial government Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. Its aim is to develop an extensive library of resources, representing many different points of view, but all written from the perspective of sound scholarship. degree at Harvard Divinity School. Reuben Kigame, the Kenyan Christian musician and apologist, has rightly suggested that considering the fact that Christianity existed in Africa for a good eighteen centuries before the. African spirituality simply acknowledges that beliefs and practices touch on and inform every facet of human life, and therefore African religion cannot be separated from the everyday or mundane.. Africans consequently played a crucial role in establishing the doctrines and theology of the early church. Currently I am about to complete a book on this question of the encounter between the biblical faith and African religion. While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. Modernity has not put a total stop to its influence. For example, an African amulet might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible. According to the 2003 Demographic and Health Survey, for example, Muslims constituted 50% of the population, while the 2008 DHS figure is 45% and the Nigerian Ministry of Healths 2008 estimate is 50%. In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). w?0t7/Oa84P]T}T}?gHq.qsRnkc;]X*s1!E"l^~K_/|j p z|9~p uf:}[Mc|4!#"Zg!/vc _~|oyuQ'dX :?NmU)?oPSw?6#?[OUN@6oz{j;\e7nWsV~XyU4vMm4#f4c:[Wefkd&88XB|cMh6)mt<4M8}; *:7??+0:0$!
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