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$! 4 0 obj stream For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions The continued influence of traditional African religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life. Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . (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. Currently I am about to complete a book on this question of the encounter between the biblical faith and African religion. A belief in ancestors also testifies to the inclusive nature of traditional African spirituality by positing that deceased progenitors still play a role in the lives of their living descendants. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. 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. 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. interaction between the Christian churches and West African religious culture. 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. 0 Anthropologica Nigeria, the most populous country in all of Africa, has the largest number of Muslims as well as the largest number of Christians in the region.3. settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. My research into and teaching of African religion has led to another important area of development. (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. In these congregations, knowledge is passed on through a ritual of initiation (kanzo) in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation. It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. But today that is not the case due to more exclusive-minded types of Christianity and Islam that see patronizing indigenous African beliefs and practices as violating the integrity of their Christian or Muslim principles, but I believe that one can maintain ones religious integrity and also embrace an African worldview. Some African diasporans are returning to the continent to reconnect with their ancestral traditions, and they are encouraging and organizing the local African communities to reclaim this heritage. PDF Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The postcolonial The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. It includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish people. African religion has equipped people to listen to the gospel, to discover meaningful passages in the Bible, and to avoid unhealthy religious conflict. But upon my return to work in Africa, and upon careful study of the religious background of our people, there emerged gradually the demand to examine this issue and to form my own judgment. 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. Updates? In Kenya I grew up in home, school and church milieus which held that the African religious and cultural background was demonic and anti-Christian. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. startxref While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. 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. 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. While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. The introduced religions of Islam (in northern Africa) and Christianity (in southern Africa) are now the continent's major religions, but traditional religions still play an important role, especially in the interior of sub-Saharan Africa. So, "Lord, help Thou my unbelief!" Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. Dr. Mbiti is on the staff of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland. The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. Faith in The One God in Christian and African Traditional Religions: a Nevertheless, I am convinced that the World Council of Churches is a great witness of the Christian response to the prayer of our Lord that we may all be one. This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. 75 19 0000001519 00000 n 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. 0000002505 00000 n Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. But in practical terms, there is a Christian Yes to African religiosity. But, it has been a sorrowful, disappointment to me to experience the fact that some individuals who exercise great power in the council are not angels: they sometimes practice the exact contrary of those values and goals to which the council is committed. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. GAZETTE: What is the state of indigenous African religions today? In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. Anthropologica, journal of the Canadian Anthropology Society (CASCA) was created from the merger of the Society's former journal, Culture, with Canada's oldest anthropology journal, Anthropologica. 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. 0000003641 00000 n A prominent European New Testament professor visited Makerere University and interviewed me on what I thought about the "death of God" discussion. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. That which had been seen as the enemy of the gospel turns out (to me) to be indeed a very welcoming friend. I had it. But Gods dealings with the African people are recorded, nevertheless, in living form -- oral communication, rituals, symbols, ceremonies, community faith. Didnt our Lord let it be clearly known that "before Abraham was I am" (John 8:58)? Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. I have received much in a short period. Corrections? For over 200 years, Africans, largely from the west coast of Africa, were brought to the United States in the slave trade. While Islam and Christianity tend to . 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. Modernity has not put a total stop to its influence. GAZETTE: What else would we lose if we lost traditional African Religions? 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. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation. Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. This is not an empty coincidence. 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. I simply and honestly answered him that "for us in Africa, God is not dead." For example, followers can seek spiritual direction and relief from healers, medicine men and women, charms [adornments often worn to incur good luck], amulets [adornments often used to ward off evil], and diviners [spiritual advisers]. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. 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). In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. 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. The primary goal and activity of Vodou is to sevi lwa (serve the spirits)to offer prayers and perform various devotional rites directed at God and particular spirits in return for health, protection, and favour. 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. So I read on and on, and conducted field research to learn more and more. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. 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. 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. Its aims were to encourage formal and informal dissemination of knowledge through an annual conference and publications; promote relations with other academic and professional associations, aboriginal groups, and governments; and publicize ethnological research and activities to further understanding of ethnological practices. The theological horizon continues to expand. 0000003217 00000 n What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. In the other case no such written record exists. For example, in 14 of the 19 countries surveyed, more than three-in-ten people say they sometimes consult traditional healers when someone in their household is sick. 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. 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. The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. This was an extremely liberating word in my theological thinking. At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. I am not a historian, and I have not done careful thinking in this direction. Religious beliefs among Black Americans | Pew Research Center OLUPONA: Your question underscores an important facet about African spirituality: It is not a closed theological system. Islam And Christianity Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. 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. 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. I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge in 1963, the year that Honest to God, by J.A.T. 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. We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. trailer 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. Jacob 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. 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. 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. GAZETTE: How would you define indigenous African religions? Indeed, ten years ago I had no significant theological position. OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. According to all the major surveys, Christianity and Islam each represent approximately 40 percent of the African population. Abstract. But I am grateful for that one step I may be taking under the light of this vision. 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. What factors are responsible for it? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Liberia is the only country where more than one-in-ten (12%) identify primarily with an African traditional religion. God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. The suppression of ancestor worship is the only area where mission Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. I want to see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. Foreign religions simply dont have that same connection to the African continent. 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. This is, obviously, a general statement, one which needs detailed elaboration. I feel deeply the value of biblical studies in this exercise, and the contribution of biblical insights in this development. 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. <<6D546C3FADADB2110A00A09A6B9CFF7F>]/Prev 416812>> Corrections? In particular, the concepts about God provide one area of great commonality. 43. 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. Much of Oluponas work is an attempt to provide a fuller understanding of the complexity and richness of African indigenous thought and practice by viewing it not as a foil or as a useful comparative to better understand Western religions, but as a system of thought and belief that should be valued and understood for its own ideas and contribution to global religions. A magisterial historical synthesis of the formative period of African Christianity written by one of its foremost scholars. Today, the country claims about 80 million of each . Belief in the power of such objects is highest in Senegal (75%) and lowest in Rwanda (5%). 0000000676 00000 n Some of these African diaspora religions include Cuban Regla de Ocha, Haitian Vodou, and Brazilian Candomble. 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. Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . I am tantalized by the fact that my vision cannot cope with that horizon. The defining line between deities and ancestors is often contested, but overall, ancestors are believed to occupy a higher level of existence than living human beings and are believed to be able to bestow either blessings or illness upon their living descendants. OLUPONA: I was raised in Africa during the 1960s, when the Yoruba community never asked you to chose between your personal faith and your collective African identity. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. Muslim populations are especially concentrated in a large geographic belt running west to east from Senegal to the Horn of Africa.1 Southern Africa is predominantly Christian. Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. The God described in the Bible is none other than the God who is already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The original constitution defined the organization's mandate as providing a forum for the exchange of ideas among ethnologists. Supreme Court may halt health care guarantees for inmates, Why police resist reforms to militarization, Historian says Fla. dispute shows why AP class in African American studies is needed, Low-carb diet can help manage progression of Type 2 diabetes, Those breezy TV drug ads? 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. 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. Today most Zairians belong to either the Catholic or Protestant church, and the Bira themselves are predominantly Catholic. The first and most intriguing topic that immediately engaged my attention was the thinking of African peoples about God. There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. Olupona earned his bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975. 1"7$X9Xyyyb GNpL!9I&mxo0++44cA@5c. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? 0000005714 00000 n Vodou | Definition, History, West African Vodun, & Facts 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.. 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. This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. This is not a biblical distinction. 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. I cannot claim that I have witnessed much progress in that quest at the organizational level, but perhaps I had expected too much. Par consquent, Mbali-Dieu est la rponse crative des Biras une rencontre religieuse syncrtique. The word Vodou means spirit or deity in the Fon language of the African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). (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. 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.
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