Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. 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. They will certainly be overwhelming, and I feel very excited about them. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. %PDF-1.3 I have met here the church not only in its geographical outreach but also in its historical roots -- seeing, for example, the rich traditions of the Orthodox Church, the universality of the Roman Catholic Church (even though it is based in the Vatican), the reconciling positioning of the Anglican Communion, the dynamic vitality of African independent churches, and so on. There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. 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. 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. The unseen world is populated by lwa (spirits), myst (mysteries), anvizib (the invisibles), zanj (angels), and the spirits of ancestors and the recently deceased. 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. Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. 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. The God described in the Bible is none other than the God who is already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. 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 . While Islam and Christianity tend to . (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. 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. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer, By Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent. 75 0 obj There are also secret societies, called Bizango or Sanpwl, that perform a religio-juridical function. 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. Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. 0000002505 00000 n But the basic truth seems to be that Gods revelation is not confined to the biblical record. There are also other parallels in social, political and cultural areas, just as there are some significant differences. If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> 0000014207 00000 n %%EOF It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? 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. 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 reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. 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. 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). What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. No viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there. Some people tried to involve Africa in the debate. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main 0000005005 00000 n They are not mutually exclusive. The Yoruba diviners, for example, draw on this extensive indigenous knowledge every day by consulting Ifa, an extensive literary corpus of information covering science, medicine, cosmology, and metaphysics. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. 93 0 obj This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. % Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. African development. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. 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. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main 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. 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 0000001519 00000 n Par consquent, Mbali-Dieu est la rponse crative des Biras une rencontre religieuse syncrtique. I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. 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. And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. Omissions? 0000002026 00000 n Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. This rapid spreading of the Christian faith where people have been predominantly followers of African religion provokes interesting questions. 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. (See the glossary for more information on juju. There are other areas of exploration in which I continue to be engaged. While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. 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. mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? 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. I am very excited, for example, by the estimate that in 1987 there will be a statistical balance of Christian population between the north (Europe, Soviet Union and America) and the south (Latin America, Africa, Asia and Oceania). 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$! 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. For over 200 years, Africans, largely from the west coast of Africa, were brought to the United States in the slave trade. 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. I want to walk with Jesus of Nazareth on the shores of Lake Galilee and the hillsides of Judea, through the gates of Jerusalem. Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. GAZETTE: But yet you said its a mixed bag? In most of the 19 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Centers Forum on Religion & Public Life, 90% or more of the respondents say they belong to one of these faiths. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. 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. Updates? Abstract. Oxford: Clarendon, 1994. I simply and honestly answered him that "for us in Africa, God is not dead." The theological horizon continues to expand. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax So the church which exists on the African scene bears the marks of its peoples backgrounds. Yet . 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. 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. This is not a biblical distinction. degree at Harvard Divinity School. Instead, God brought them. It was during the Belgian colonial period that the first Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to this region of Zaire. OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. 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. But after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. 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. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. 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. 0000001198 00000 n One of Jacob Oluponas earliest memories in Massachusetts is of nearly freezing in his apartment as a graduate student at Boston University during the great snowstorm of 1978. These statements await further exploration by African theologians. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax Of course, behind all these factors is the Holy Spirit working through them. Consequently, traditional Africans have different ideas on what role the ancestors play in the lives of living descendants. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. ), 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. 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. settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas Today most Zairians belong to either the Catholic or Protestant church, and the Bira themselves are predominantly Catholic. This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock. 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.. At many points I see intriguing parallels between the biblical record and African religiosity. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender. Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. African scholars Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous 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. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. endobj Vodou is an oral tradition practiced by extended families that inherit familial spirits, along with the necessary devotional practices, from their elders. But I am grateful for that one step I may be taking under the light of this vision. 0000001791 00000 n That testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. 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 . Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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. For six years I worked with the World Council of Churches in Geneva. 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. Overall, however, Christians outnumber Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa by about two-to-one. Indeed, ten years ago I had no significant theological position. The WCCs very existence as a council of churches is a living hope. This approach is intended to shed further light on the problem of African cultural influence and . 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. But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. 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. He later earned both an M.A. 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. Belief in the power of such objects is highest in Senegal (75%) and lowest in Rwanda (5%). X0#J++?U;_3_gmx9[F\"{,Um1yu 9 ?ce%9EG`N: &U0EHC$p4=$'=DlX6M_7,--" 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. GAZETTE: What allows African indigenous religions to be so accommodating? Spiritual activities like prayer, thanksgiving, and the making of sacrifices were well-established facts of life for the existence and continuation of the community. 0000000676 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. The first and most intriguing topic that immediately engaged my attention was the thinking of African peoples about God. That book was followed by a flurry of literature on the so-called "death of God" theology (if "theology" it was, for I would call it "atheology"). hb```b``g`a`.ef@ aV68+ +$.0t9$r8A2Or}6=<4. Subscriptions are available to libraries and individuals who are not members of CASCA. OLUPONA: Your question underscores an important facet about African spirituality: It is not a closed theological system. 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. The Church in Africa, 1450-1950. We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam . It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. 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. 0 One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. Didnt our Lord let it be clearly known that "before Abraham was I am" (John 8:58)? The book comprised ideas that I had gathered from 300 African peoples ("tribes" -- a term that today is sometimes used in derogatory ways). 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. But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. 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.

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