OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. Black Americans who identify with a religion are most likely to say belief in God is essential to what their faith means to them (84%), while large majorities say the same about opposing racism (76%) and sexism (71%). These were not empty names. While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. 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). The first and most intriguing topic that immediately engaged my attention was the thinking of African peoples about God. 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. 0000001791 00000 n That testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. 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. Indeed, ten years ago I had no significant theological position. In three of the countries surveyed (Djibouti, Mali and Senegal), Muslims clearly outnumber Christians. I have concentrated these comments on the role of African background in my theological reflection. endobj They will certainly be overwhelming, and I feel very excited about them. This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. 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. The WCCs very existence as a council of churches is a living hope. 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. In respect and honor of my culture, I also dress in my traditional Nigerian attire when Im in my country. In these congregations, knowledge is passed on through a ritual of initiation (kanzo) in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation. So I read on and on, and conducted field research to learn more and more. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. It was during the Belgian colonial period that the first Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to this region of Zaire. It is the southern two-thirds of Africa (including Madagascar) which we can rightly call Christian Africa, as the northern one-third is Muslim 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. The councils programs in response to these problems are impressive. There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. Following a period of parish work in England, I went to teach at Makerere University, Uganda, where I remained for ten years until 1974. OLUPONA: No, this type of binary thinking is simplistic. 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 is an oral tradition practiced by extended families that inherit familial spirits, along with the necessary devotional practices, from their elders. In Africa the traditional religions are a major source for the study of the African experience of God. 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. GAZETTE: Are ancestors considered deities in the traditional African cosmology? Updates? <>stream While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. I have received much in a short period. This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. 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$! They are not mutually exclusive. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. After that date there will be more Christians in the south than in the north. Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest. Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. Some people tried to involve Africa in the debate. Some scholars choose to call it the African Traditional Religion, while others prefer to name it the African traditional Religions. 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. 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. This is not a biblical distinction. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. As the map in the preface to this report shows, sub-Saharan Africa is much more religiously mixed than northern Africa, where the population is overwhelmingly Muslim. But I am grateful for that one step I may be taking under the light of this vision. 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. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 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. in social anthropology from Oxford University, is studying for a master of theological studies (M.T.S.) Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation. Liberia is the only country where more than one-in-ten (12%) identify primarily with an African traditional religion. 93 0 obj Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Par consquent, Mbali-Dieu est la rponse crative des Biras une rencontre religieuse syncrtique. C'est l'poque de la colonisation belge que les premiers missionnaires catholiques et protestants sont arrivs dans cette rgion du Zare. 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. In 1988 the society changed its name to the Canadian Anthropology Society to clarify its identity and emphasize its role as an anthropology association. Omissions? 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. 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). And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief. 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. 0000000016 00000 n Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. 0000014025 00000 n Anthropologica We have already noted that the overseas missionaries did not bring God to Africa. 0 %%EOF In Nigeria, the population in 1900 included 4.2 million Muslims and 180,000 Christians. For myself, I negotiate between my Yoruba and Christian identity by, for example, affirming those aspects of African culture that promote good life and communal human welfare. settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas They constitute an important channel of the churchs prophetic witness today. Eating pattern tied to 24% reduction in cardiovascular, cancer mortality in people diagnosed with the chronic condition, HMS/Brigham study shows most advertised medicines little better than other treatment options. 0000001519 00000 n 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 viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there. GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. 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]. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. In most countries, however, less than one-in-twenty say this is their primary religious affiliation. 0000002884 00000 n 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. It publishes a journal Anthropologica and has reclaimed the name of its former journal, Culture for its occasional online bulletin. The rural Bira of northeastern Zaire have been exposed to the Christian message for well over half a century. A subscription to Anthropologica is included in CASCA's annual membership fee. Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners, and prophets. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was. I am tantalized by the fact that my vision cannot cope with that horizon. GAZETTE: But yet you said its a mixed bag? 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. Its about getting tangible results. 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 most of the 19 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, 90% or more of the respondents say they belong to one of these faiths. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. 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. 4 0 obj And in Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia, the survey finds that 5% or less identify as Muslim. Omissions? I cannot claim that I have witnessed much progress in that quest at the organizational level, but perhaps I had expected too much. 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. I am not a historian, and I have not done careful thinking in this direction. Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. 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. 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. 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. African spirituality is truly holistic. Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. 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. Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. (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. If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. 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. But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. 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. While Islam and Christianity tend to . 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. 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. It sensitized my thinking in many areas, one of these being the quest for Christian unity. The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. For example, an African amulet might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? 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. 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. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. 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. Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender. Omissions? Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? An old African adage says: The sky is large enough for birds to fly around without one having to bump into the other.. It includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. The original constitution defined the organization's mandate as providing a forum for the exchange of ideas among ethnologists. This rapid spreading of the Christian faith where people have been predominantly followers of African religion provokes interesting questions. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. In this overpowering environment, one simply accepted this stand and looked at the world from its perspectives. Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. 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. I want to reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. 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. The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." 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. Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. Ethiopia's Christian population, at 6 million in 1900, will grow to a projected 100 million in 2050. Then was he not there in other times and in such places as Mount Fuji and Mount Kenya, as well as Mount Sinai? Their history has a theological meaning. I had it. His research has helped to introduce and popularize new concepts in religious studies, such as the term reverse missionaries, referring to African prelates sent to Europe and the United States. 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. That which had been seen as the enemy of the gospel turns out (to me) to be indeed a very welcoming friend. Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. 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. (I myself have consulted with several diviners for my research on specific academic topics regarding African culture and history; consequently, if we were to lose Africas diviners, we would also lose one of Africas best keepers and sources of African history and culture. GAZETTE: What is the state of indigenous African religions today? 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. 0000001198 00000 n 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 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 .
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