0000003641 00000 n I also celebrate and honor the kings festivals and ceremonies in my hometown and other places where I live and do research. 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. I wish to apply "change of mind" here to mean theological growth, and not necessarily a rejection of or turnaround from ideas that I may have held ten years ago. But whatever the shortcomings of these and my other publications, the materials that went into these two have raised extremely important issues for me that have continued to engage my reflection. 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. (a) The Structures of African Traditional Religions: Sometimes it is a difficult task among scholars to choose a unanimous name for the religious traditions and beliefs of the African people. There are also other parallels in social, political and cultural areas, just as there are some significant differences. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. 93 0 obj 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. The Church in Africa, 1450-1950. But the basic truth seems to be that Gods revelation is not confined to the biblical record. Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World, Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa, Next: Chapter 2: Commitment to Christianity and Islam, Chapter 2: Commitment to Christianity and Islam, Chapter 3: Traditional African Religious Beliefs and Practices, Chapter 4: Interreligious Harmony and Tensions, In the U.S. and Western Europe, people say they accept Muslims, but opinions are divided on Islam, In Western Europe, familiarity with Muslims is linked to positive views of Muslims and Islam, Q&A: Measuring attitudes toward Muslims and Jews in Western Europe, Europes Muslim population will continue to grow but how much depends on migration, The Growth of Germanys Muslim Population, Size & Demographic Characteristics of Religious Groups, Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 60% of Americans Would Be Uncomfortable With Provider Relying on AI in Their Own Health Care, Gender pay gap in U.S. hasnt changed much in two decades. And this witness deserves ones support through service and prayer. Vodou | Definition, History, West African Vodun, & Facts They have also fostered a greater feeling of individual self-worth by acknowledging important milestones in ones life, including becoming an adult or an elder. Today, the country claims about 80 million of each . They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Indigenous African religions are by nature plural, varied, and usually informed by ones ethnic identity, where ones family came from in Africa. 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. Religious pluralism serves peace. Download chapter 3 in full (3-page PDF, <1MB), Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis, Part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA Religious syncretism - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica 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. PDF Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The postcolonial (back to text), Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis, Part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA I am not a historian, and I have not done careful thinking in this direction. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). So I read on and on, and conducted field research to learn more and more. I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. Faith in The One God in Christian and African Traditional Religions: a Model tested on tens of thousands of routine brain scans spotted disease risk with 90% accuracy, Experts on law, policy say originalist view used to overturn Roe could upend 76 ruling based on cruel, unusual punishment clause, Issues revolve around culture of viewing civilians as potential threats, concerns about self-protection in departments equipped with military-grade arms, Khalil Gibran Muhammad says College Board needs to stand firm behind curriculum, 2023 The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. The first and most intriguing topic that immediately engaged my attention was the thinking of African peoples about God. Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. Overall, however, Christians outnumber Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa by about two-to-one. Alternate titles: Vaudou, Vodun, Voodoo, Voudou, vodon, Elizabeth McAlister Associate Professor of Religion, Weslyan University. Of course, behind all these factors is the Holy Spirit working through them. That experience gave me a face-to-face encounter with the ecumenical movement and left a lasting mark on me. OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. L'interdiction de pratiquer le culte des anctres est l'unique domaine dans lequel la mission chrtienne a triomph de la vie religieuse traditionnelle des Biras. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? The Story of Africa| BBC World Service - Logo of the BBC 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. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. When this happens, then a passage such as Hebrews 1:1-3 rolls down like mighty waters, full of exciting possibilities of theological reflection. Vodou is an oral tradition practiced by extended families that inherit familial spirits, along with the necessary devotional practices, from their elders. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. I have concentrated these comments on the role of African background in my theological reflection. Its about getting tangible results. African diaspora religions, also described as Afro-American religions, are a number of related beliefs that developed in the Americas in various nations of the Caribbean, Latin America and the Southern United States. The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. 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. Omissions? www.ej-theology.org Christianity and Indigenisation in Africa They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Focuses on the influences of Africans and African ideas on the mission enterprise, conversion, religious innovation, and church life, but it neglects to cover the . That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over. 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. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. It will keep me chewing for a long time, and it will most certainly feed my theological development. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Belief in the power of such objects is highest in Senegal (75%) and lowest in Rwanda (5%). The suppression of ancestor worship is the only area where mission Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. There is even a community deep in the American Bible Belt in Beaufort County, S.C., called Oyotunji Village that practices a type of African indigenous religion, which is a mixture of Yoruba and Ewe-Fon spiritual practices. Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. 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. 0000014207 00000 n While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. I feel deeply the value of biblical studies in this exercise, and the contribution of biblical insights in this development. African diaspora religions - Wikipedia interaction between the Christian churches and West African religious culture. Spiritual activities like prayer, thanksgiving, and the making of sacrifices were well-established facts of life for the existence and continuation of the community. While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. The statistical expansion of the Christian faith in Africa in this century is one of the considerations that led me back to the issue of its relation with African religion. Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. A calendar of ritual feasts, syncretized with the Roman Catholic calendar, provides the yearly rhythm of religious practice. Abstract. 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.. 0000002884 00000 n 0 The church is composed largely of people who come out of the African religious background. This chapter includes information on: Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects Download chapter 3 in full (3-page PDF, <1MB) Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis GAZETTE: Are ancestors considered deities in the traditional African cosmology? He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. My interpretation of Israels history demands a new look at the history of African peoples, among whom this same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has indeed been at work. In Nigeria, the population in 1900 included 4.2 million Muslims and 180,000 Christians. The book comprised ideas that I had gathered from 300 African peoples ("tribes" -- a term that today is sometimes used in derogatory ways). The council made me aware, perhaps even frightfully so, of the problems of our world. 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. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. 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. 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. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. They will certainly be overwhelming, and I feel very excited about them. Today most Zairians belong to either the Catholic or Protestant church, and the Bira themselves are predominantly Catholic. African Traditional Religion in the Context of increasing Christian and Islamic Encounter . The Pew Forums survey found 52% of the population is Muslim. OLUPONA: Yes, its a mixed bag because in the African diaspora mostly due to the slave trade starting in the 15th century indigenous African religions have spread and taken root all over the world, including in the United States and Europe. This massive expansion within a short time is unprecedented in the history of Christianity. This number has since grown rapidly, to the point that in 1980 there are estimated to be 200 million Christians (or about 45 per cent of the population). Indeed, ten years ago I had no significant theological position. Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. 0000002505 00000 n 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. OLUPONA: One of the basic reasons is that indigenous African spiritual beliefs are not bound by a written text, like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. After that date there will be more Christians in the south than in the north. Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. This is not an empty coincidence. I have seen the quest more sharply. No viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there. As for the belief in God, it appears that the Bira have utilized Christianity to make their traditional God Mbali less remote and more caring, a change which has also made the Christian God more compassionate and forgiving of sins. Modernity has not put a total stop to its influence. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . 300 ce). 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. (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. Updates? It is in this complex of religiosity that the preaching of the gospel makes sense; it is this preparedness that has undergirded the spreading of the gospel like wildfire among African societies which had hitherto followed and practiced traditional religion. 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. xref In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY 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. A subscription to Anthropologica is included in CASCA's annual membership fee. Many other familial feasts (for the sacred children, for the poor, for particular ancestors) as well as initiations and funerary rituals occur throughout the year. Corrections? Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners, and prophets. Amen. They are not mutually exclusive. But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. That is anathema to the fundamentalist faith movements that have been gaining momentum in recent decades. startxref 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. 0000000016 00000 n For starters, the word religion is problematic for many Africans, because it suggests that religion is separate from the other aspects of ones culture, society, or environment. In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. For instance, in a few years time, I pray that I will be participating in an age-grade festival for men around 70 years of age called Ero in my native Nigerian community in Ute, in Ondo state. Updates? One read Honest to God and a variety of other works in an effort to understand the hot debate then raging in Europe and America. African development. degree at Harvard Divinity School. X0#J++?U;_3_gmx9[F\"{,Um1yu 9 ?ce%9EG`N: &U0EHC$p4=$'=DlX6M_7,--" In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition of the region about 100 years ago, when, according to a Pew Forum analysis of historical information from the World Religion Database, less than a quarter of the population identified as either Christian or Muslim. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. Ethiopia's Christian population, at 6 million in 1900, will grow to a projected 100 million in 2050. %%EOF There is not space here to argue the case for the role played by African religion in the establishment of the Christian faith in Africa. 0000001519 00000 n The bottom line then is that Africans who still wholly practice African indigenous religions are only about 10 percent of the African population, a fraction of what it used to be only a century ago, when indigenous religions dominated most of the continent. But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. 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. 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. While Islam and Christianity tend to be overtly resistant to adopting traditional African religious ideas or practices, indigenous African religions have always accommodated other beliefs. African religions and corresponding beliefs and practices Liberia is the only country where more than one-in-ten (12%) identify primarily with an African traditional religion. Author of. Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. When we identify the God of the Bible as the same God who is known through African religion (whatever its limitations), we must also take it that God has had a historical relationship with African peoples. Robinson, came out. For over 200 years, Africans, largely from the west coast of Africa, were brought to the United States in the slave trade. They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam . 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. 0000008365 00000 n 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 Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions 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. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. Current articles and subscription information can be found at www.christiancentury.org. OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? 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. 75 0 obj Christianity: An African traditional religion - ghanaweb.com It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. 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. Some scholars choose to call it the African Traditional Religion, while others prefer to name it the African traditional Religions. Afro-American Religious Syncretism in Brazil and the United States: A One important task, then, is to see the nature, the method and the implications of Gods revelation among African peoples, in the light of the biblical record of the same revelation. He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish people. The theological horizon continues to expand. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. Awolawu and Depamu (1979) Par consquent, Mbali-Dieu est la rponse crative des Biras une rencontre religieuse syncrtique. In these congregations, knowledge is passed on through a ritual of initiation (kanzo) in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation. {PB,`s /// Dans le nord-est du Zare, la communaut rurale Bira a t expose depuis plus de cinquante ans au message chrtien. GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. An old African adage says: The sky is large enough for birds to fly around without one having to bump into the other.. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, between 10% and 15% of respondents are Muslim. Indigenous African religion is primarily an oral tradition and has never been fully codified; thus, it allows itself to more easily be amended and influenced by other religious ideas, religious wisdom, and by modern development. 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. A prominent European New Testament professor visited Makerere University and interviewed me on what I thought about the "death of God" discussion. At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. 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. Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. In most countries, however, less than one-in-twenty say this is their primary religious affiliation. 0000001198 00000 n This was an extremely liberating word in my theological thinking. Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World, Chapter 3: Traditional African Religious Beliefs and Practices, Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa, Next: Chapter 4: Interreligious Harmony and Tensions, Chapter 2: Commitment to Christianity and Islam, Chapter 4: Interreligious Harmony and Tensions, In the U.S. and Western Europe, people say they accept Muslims, but opinions are divided on Islam, In Western Europe, familiarity with Muslims is linked to positive views of Muslims and Islam, Q&A: Measuring attitudes toward Muslims and Jews in Western Europe, Europes Muslim population will continue to grow but how much depends on migration, The Growth of Germanys Muslim Population, Size & Demographic Characteristics of Religious Groups, Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 60% of Americans Would Be Uncomfortable With Provider Relying on AI in Their Own Health Care, Gender pay gap in U.S. hasnt changed much in two decades.