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In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In the end, I believe that Africans can make room for a plurality of religious points of view without one religious point of view excluding or compromising the other. 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. 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. This approach is intended to shed further light on the problem of African cultural influence and . I want to make a pilgrimage into Christ. 75 19 But in practical terms, there is a Christian Yes to African religiosity. AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY They will certainly be overwhelming, and I feel very excited about them. Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. All these spirits are believed to live in a mythic land called Ginen, a cosmic Africa. The God of the Christian Bible is understood to be the creator of both the universe and the spirits; the spirits were made by God to help him govern humanity and the natural world. 0000002026 00000 n I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. 0000000016 00000 n Updates? 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. In 1988 the society changed its name to the Canadian Anthropology Society to clarify its identity and emphasize its role as an anthropology association. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners, and prophets. In particular, the concepts about God provide one area of great commonality. 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. The council made me aware, perhaps even frightfully so, of the problems of our world. This is not a biblical distinction. So the church which exists on the African scene bears the marks of its peoples backgrounds. 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. Aujourd'hui, la plupart des Zariens sont soit catholiques, soit protestants; les Biras pour leur part sont principalement catholiques. religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. African Traditional Religion in the Context of Christian and Islamic 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. 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. trailer But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Omissions? The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax Instances of religious syncretismas, for example, Gnosticism (a religious dualistic system that incorporated elements from the Oriental mystery religions), Judaism, Christianity, and Greek religious philosophical conceptswere particularly prevalent during the Hellenistic period (c. 300 bcec. Because of this, Africa is now home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim communities. Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? For example, an African amulet might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. Instead, God brought them, for the God described in the Bible is none other than the God who was already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. 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 Indigenous African religions are by nature plural, varied, and usually informed by ones ethnic identity, where ones family came from in Africa. The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. What factors are responsible for it? This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. 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. Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. 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. 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. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. While Islam and Christianity tend to . 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. With it, one began to explore afresh the realm of Gods revelation and other treasures of our faith. Some scholars choose to call it the African Traditional Religion, while others prefer to name it the African traditional Religions. Some of these African diaspora religions include Cuban Regla de Ocha, Haitian Vodou, and Brazilian Candomble. Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. 0000002264 00000 n startxref 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. Anthropologica 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. Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. The word Vodou means spirit or deity in the Fon language of the African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). So I read on and on, and conducted field research to learn more and more. 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). Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. It was during the Belgian colonial period that the first Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to this region of Zaire. "For us in Africa, God is not dead" -- and that applies whether or not there is a written record of his relations with and concern for people. Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. This chapter includes information on: Download chapter 1 in full (6-page PDF, <1MB), 1 The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in the easternmost part of North East Africa, on the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. 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. C'est l'poque de la colonisation belge que les premiers missionnaires catholiques et protestants sont arrivs dans cette rgion du Zare. Awolawu and Depamu (1979) In these congregations, knowledge is passed on through a ritual of initiation (kanzo) in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? The first and most intriguing topic that immediately engaged my attention was the thinking of African peoples about God. 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. 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. This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock. I was like a snail shyly peeping out of its house after a heavy thunderstorm. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. Take em with a grain of salt. 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. The WCCs very existence as a council of churches is a living hope. (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. I wont pray to an orisa, but I will affirm the importance of my connection with members of my age group. 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. ), 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. In one case the thinking and experience of the people produced a written record of Gods dealings with the Jewish people in particular. 0000002505 00000 n <<6D546C3FADADB2110A00A09A6B9CFF7F>]/Prev 416812>> 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. I want to reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. 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. In its place there emerged the word "also." This article appeared in the Christian Century, August 27- September 3, 1980, pp. As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. The continued influence of traditional African religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life. African religion has equipped people to listen to the gospel, to discover meaningful passages in the Bible, and to avoid unhealthy religious conflict. 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]. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Omissions? 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. Religious pluralism serves peace | D+C - Development + Cooperation African Christianity - African Studies - Oxford Bibliographies - obo 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. It publishes a journal Anthropologica and has reclaimed the name of its former journal, Culture for its occasional online bulletin. Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. 4 0 obj 93 0 obj In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief. All too often, the result is conflict and radicalisation. 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 theological horizon continues to expand. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender, Side by side with their high levels of commitment to Christianity and Islam, many people in the countries surveyed retain beliefs and rituals that are characteristic of traditional African religions. That finished the interview. Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. GAZETTE: What else would we lose if we lost traditional African Religions? 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.