mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. I cannot claim that I have witnessed much progress in that quest at the organizational level, but perhaps I had expected too much. God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. 0000001519 00000 n 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. <> The book comprised ideas that I had gathered from 300 African peoples ("tribes" -- a term that today is sometimes used in derogatory ways). 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. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society 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 in social anthropology from Oxford University, is studying for a master of theological studies (M.T.S.) These statements await further exploration by African theologians. I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. It was during the Belgian colonial period that the first Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to this region of Zaire. Today most Zairians belong to either the Catholic or Protestant church, and the Bira themselves are predominantly Catholic. So the church which exists on the African scene bears the marks of its peoples backgrounds. African spirituality has always been able to adapt to change and allow itself to absorb the wisdom and views of other religions, much more than, for example, Christianity and Islam. The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." 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). 4 0 obj Current articles and subscription information can be found at www.christiancentury.org. 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). 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. 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. 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.. 0000015705 00000 n African Traditional Religion in the Context of increasing Christian and Islamic Encounter . 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 . 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. 0000002026 00000 n Par contre, les croyances en la sorcellerie ont persist. En ce qui concerne la croyance en Dieu, il semblerait que les Biras se soient servis de la chrtient pour rendre leur dieu traditionnel Mbali plus accessible et plus comprhensif, un changement qui a rendu le Dieu des chrtiens plus compatissant et indulgent vis vis du pch. 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? A subscription to Anthropologica is included in CASCA's annual membership fee. 0000005005 00000 n Indigenous religion in Africa is the way Africans understand and worship their god. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 75 0 obj GAZETTE: What allows African indigenous religions to be so accommodating? 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. While the recourse to traditional healers may be motivated in part by economic reasons and an absence of health care alternatives, it may also be rooted in religious beliefs about the efficacy of this approach. But I am grateful for that one step I may be taking under the light of this vision. This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. For example, an African amulet might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible. Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. 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. Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. 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. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. And in Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia, the survey finds that 5% or less identify as Muslim. 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. He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. OLUPONA: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of 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. Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. 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. 0000002884 00000 n Religious pluralism serves peace. 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. God was not a stranger to African peoples. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. C'est l'poque de la colonisation belge que les premiers missionnaires catholiques et protestants sont arrivs dans cette rgion du Zare. (See the glossary for more information on juju. Corrections? Later, my theological studies in America and England did not challenge this position, since that was not a living issue for my professors and fellow students. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. In one case the thinking and experience of the people produced a written record of Gods dealings with the Jewish people in particular. Of course, behind all these factors is the Holy Spirit working through them. hb```b``g`a`.ef@ aV68+ +$.0t9$r8A2Or}6=<4. As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. 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 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. But they used the names of the God who was and is already known by African peoples -- such as Mungu, Mulungu, Katonda, Ngai, Olodumare, Asis, Ruwa, Ruhanga, Jok, Modimo, Unkulunkulu and thousands more. I am tantalized by the fact that my vision cannot cope with that horizon. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. No viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there. 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]. This massive expansion within a short time is unprecedented in the history of Christianity. Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. Currently I am about to complete a book on this question of the encounter between the biblical faith and African religion. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. 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. When this happens, then a passage such as Hebrews 1:1-3 rolls down like mighty waters, full of exciting possibilities of theological reflection. 0000001586 00000 n In respect and honor of my culture, I also dress in my traditional Nigerian attire when Im in my country. The continued influence of traditional African religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life. He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. 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. 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. 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. This is not a biblical distinction. OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. 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. I simply and honestly answered him that "for us in Africa, God is not dead." But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. 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. That is anathema to the fundamentalist faith movements that have been gaining momentum in recent decades. 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. He went on to conduct some of the most significant research on African religions in decades. 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. Following a period of parish work in England, I went to teach at Makerere University, Uganda, where I remained for ten years until 1974. Oxford: Clarendon, 1994. African spirituality is truly holistic. The previous year I had published African Religions and Philosophy (Doubleday, 1969). Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. A magisterial historical synthesis of the formative period of African Christianity written by one of its foremost scholars. 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. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. I had it. In Nigeria, the population in 1900 included 4.2 million Muslims and 180,000 Christians. v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ Its consequences for theological and ecclesiological developments are yet to be faced. This rapid spreading of the Christian faith where people have been predominantly followers of African religion provokes interesting questions. 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. A calendar of ritual feasts, syncretized with the Roman Catholic calendar, provides the yearly rhythm of religious practice. This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. And this witness deserves ones support through service and prayer. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. I want to see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. 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. Take em with a grain of salt. Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. This was an extremely liberating word in my theological thinking. Amen. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Olupona earned his bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975. 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. 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. Anthropologica And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. (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. Anthropologica is published for CASCA by University of Toronto Press. {PB,`s (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge in 1963, the year that Honest to God, by J.A.T. This article appeared in the Christian Century, August 27- September 3, 1980, pp. 0000001198 00000 n 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. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. A close geographical correlation exists between the location of African religion and the rapid expansion of the Christian faith. But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. 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. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? My doctoral studies in New Testament eschatology led me also to the field of Christology. In the cities, local hierarchies of priestesses or priests (manbo and oungan), children of the spirits (ounsi), and ritual drummers (ountgi) comprise more formal societies or congregations (sosyete). 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. African spirituality has always been able to adapt to change and allow itself to absorb the wisdom and views of other religions, much more than, for example, Christianity and Islam. In this overpowering environment, one simply accepted this stand and looked at the world from its perspectives. 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. The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. 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. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. 0000001019 00000 n That experience gave me a face-to-face encounter with the ecumenical movement and left a lasting mark on me. Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. 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. Liberia is the only country where more than one-in-ten (12%) identify primarily with an African traditional religion. %PDF-1.7 % I find the traditional Western distinction between "special revelation" and "general revelation" to be inadequate and unfreeing. Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. 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%. "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. I want to make a pilgrimage into Christ. Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. For over 200 years, Africans, largely from the west coast of Africa, were brought to the United States in the slave trade. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? There are also secret societies, called Bizango or Sanpwl, that perform a religio-juridical function. In these congregations, knowledge is passed on through a ritual of initiation (kanzo) in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. In its place there emerged the word "also." 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. Humans are spirits who inhabit the visible world. 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. Spiritual activities like prayer, thanksgiving, and the making of sacrifices were well-established facts of life for the existence and continuation of the community. Some of these African diaspora religions include Cuban Regla de Ocha, Haitian Vodou, and Brazilian Candomble. Author of. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. These impinge upon their daily life- and experience of the Christian faith. For instance, the Yoruba religion has historically been centered in southwestern Nigeria, the Zulu religion in southern Africa, and the Igbo religion in southeastern Nigeria. While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. 0000002264 00000 n During religious rites, believers sometimes enter a trancelike state in which the devotee may eat and drink, perform stylized dances, give supernaturally inspired advice to people, or perform medical cures or special physical feats; these acts exhibit the incarnate presence of the lwa within the entranced devotee.
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