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 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. But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. 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. 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 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. I want to reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. Omissions? Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. For six years I worked with the World Council of Churches in Geneva. 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. Indigenous African religions are by nature plural, varied, and usually informed by ones ethnic identity, where ones family came from in Africa. Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. 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. The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. 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. 0000000016 00000 n They were names of one and the same God, the creator of the world, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. A subscription to Anthropologica is included in CASCA's annual membership fee. Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. 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. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. Consequently, traditional Africans have different ideas on what role the ancestors play in the lives of living descendants. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. 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. 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. Corrections? 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). In the other case no such written record exists. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. The recipient of many prestigious academic honors and research fellowships, Olupona also received the 20152016 Reimar Lust Award for International and Cultural Exchange, considered one of Germanys most prestigious academic honors. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. 0000002026 00000 n 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. Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. 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. I want to make a pilgrimage into Christ. Indigenous religion in Africa is the way Africans understand and worship their god. Their history has a theological meaning. 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. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> Awolawu and Depamu (1979) 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. 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. 43. African religion has equipped people to listen to the gospel, to discover meaningful passages in the Bible, and to avoid unhealthy religious conflict. GAZETTE: What allows African indigenous religions to be so accommodating? It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. 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. 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. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? This was an extremely liberating word in my theological thinking. 0000014025 00000 n The God described in the Bible is none other than the God who is already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. % What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. Of course, behind all these factors is the Holy Spirit working through them. In its place there emerged the word "also." 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. Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. African scholars This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. 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. But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. The continued influence of traditional African religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life. I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. 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 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. Today, the country claims about 80 million of each . God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. Instead, God brought them. Orthodox Christianity, although influenced by other religions, generally looked negatively upon these syncretistic movements. 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. 93 0 obj 0000001519 00000 n 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.. Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. Islam And Christianity Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. 300 ce). Holding or maintaining to a uniform doctrine is not the essence of indigenous African religions. The council made me aware, perhaps even frightfully so, of the problems of our world. This article appeared in the Christian Century, August 27- September 3, 1980, pp. endobj 0000005714 00000 n Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. 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. Today most Zairians belong to either the Catholic or Protestant church, and the Bira themselves are predominantly Catholic. 0000008365 00000 n In 1988 the society changed its name to the Canadian Anthropology Society to clarify its identity and emphasize its role as an anthropology association. What factors are responsible for it? 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%. Their culture, history, world views and spiritual aspirations cannot be taken away from them. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. 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. Updates? Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. My research into and teaching of African religion has led to another important area of development. Ifa is an indispensable treasure trove of knowledge that cant be duplicated elsewhere; much of its knowledge has been handed down from babalawo [Ifa priest/diviner] to babalawo for centuries. 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$! While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. {PB,`s A prominent European New Testament professor visited Makerere University and interviewed me on what I thought about the "death of God" discussion. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender, Side by side with their high levels of commitment to Christianity and Islam, many people in the countries surveyed retain beliefs and rituals that are characteristic of traditional African religions. That testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. They include the work of missionaries (of whom there are about 40,000 today, without counting their family members); the work of African Christians in evangelism and pastoral care (their numbers are infinitely greater than those of overseas missionaries, and include men, women and children, both lay and ordained); the role of Christian schools; the translation and distribution of the Bible (which is now available in full or in part in nearly 600 of Africas 1,000 languages); and the ending of the colonial era during the decades 1960-1980. The decisive word here is "only." AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge in 1963, the year that Honest to God, by J.A.T. The editor of The Christian Century has given me an undeserved privilege in asking me to contribute some reflections on "How My Mind Has Changed" in the course of the past decade. If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. The previous year I had published African Religions and Philosophy (Doubleday, 1969). Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. It will keep me chewing for a long time, and it will most certainly feed my theological development. 0000002884 00000 n The Church in Africa, 1450-1950. 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. These were not empty names. Anthropologica No viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there. 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. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax My doctoral studies in New Testament eschatology led me also to the field of Christology. I want to see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. 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 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. 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 should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. Below is the article summary. The councils programs in response to these problems are impressive. 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. They are not mutually exclusive. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation. One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. 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. (See the glossary for more information on juju. He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. 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. 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 . The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." 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. "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. 0000014207 00000 n Humans are spirits who inhabit the visible world. Africans consequently played a crucial role in establishing the doctrines and theology of the early church. Alternate titles: Vaudou, Vodun, Voodoo, Voudou, vodon, Elizabeth McAlister Associate Professor of Religion, Weslyan University. /// Dans le nord-est du Zare, la communaut rurale Bira a t expose depuis plus de cinquante ans au message chrtien. 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. In Nigeria, the population in 1900 included 4.2 million Muslims and 180,000 Christians. That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over. v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ <>stream Download chapter 3 in full (3-page PDF, <1MB), Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis, Part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA African Traditional Religion in the Context of increasing Christian and Islamic Encounter . This re-ligion is found in almost all the activities of the African man. GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. 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. They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam . Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Corrections? In three of the countries surveyed (Djibouti, Mali and Senegal), Muslims clearly outnumber Christians. 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. 0000002505 00000 n Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. That finished the interview. 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. 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. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. This massive expansion within a short time is unprecedented in the history of Christianity. Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish people. This is not an empty coincidence. Currently I am about to complete a book on this question of the encounter between the biblical faith and African religion. In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. Olupona earned his bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975. For example, sickness in the indigenous African worldview is not only an imbalance of the body, but also an imbalance in ones social life, which can be linked to a breakdown in ones kinship and family relations or even to ones relationship with ones ancestors. 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. 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. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. But after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. They constitute an important channel of the churchs prophetic witness today. The first African captives entered England's North American colonies through Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. 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. They proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ. 75 0 obj 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. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. Abstract. Omissions? 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. When this happens, then a passage such as Hebrews 1:1-3 rolls down like mighty waters, full of exciting possibilities of theological reflection. That experience gave me a face-to-face encounter with the ecumenical movement and left a lasting mark on me. And this witness deserves ones support through service and prayer. 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. 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. Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. OLUPONA: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa. The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). degree at Harvard Divinity School. x\u}4`P}E#(9q"%LCl'KLb)Sfgdq N In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. xref I simply and honestly answered him that "for us in Africa, God is not dead." We have already noted that the overseas missionaries did not bring God to Africa. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Amen. Belief in the power of such objects is highest in Senegal (75%) and lowest in Rwanda (5%). I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. 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%). Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. On returning home, the learned professor wrote an article using my brief answer as his title. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. Oxford: Clarendon, 1994. 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. in social anthropology from Oxford University, is studying for a master of theological studies (M.T.S.) 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. I wont pray to an orisa, but I will affirm the importance of my connection with members of my age group. I find the traditional Western distinction between "special revelation" and "general revelation" to be inadequate and unfreeing. Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. But Gods dealings with the African people are recorded, nevertheless, in living form -- oral communication, rituals, symbols, ceremonies, community faith. 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. It sensitized my thinking in many areas, one of these being the quest for Christian unity. This is, obviously, a general statement, one which needs detailed elaboration. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. But the basic truth seems to be that Gods revelation is not confined to the biblical record. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. A calendar of ritual feasts, syncretized with the Roman Catholic calendar, provides the yearly rhythm of religious practice. The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. Because of this, Africa is now home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim communities. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . 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. 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. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? Spiritual activities like prayer, thanksgiving, and the making of sacrifices were well-established facts of life for the existence and continuation of the community. At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. I had it. The bottom line then is that Africans who still wholly practice African indigenous religions are only about 10 percent of the African population, a fraction of what it used to be only a century ago, when indigenous religions dominated most of the continent. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer, By Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits.