This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. Some of these African diaspora religions include Cuban Regla de Ocha, Haitian Vodou, and Brazilian Candomble. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. I want to walk with Jesus of Nazareth on the shores of Lake Galilee and the hillsides of Judea, through the gates of Jerusalem. 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 success of Christianity and Islam on the African continent in the last 100 years has been extraordinary, but it has been, unfortunately, at the expense of African indigenous religions," said Olupona. hb```b``g`a`.ef@ aV68+ +$.0t9$r8A2Or}6=<4. 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. (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. Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. 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. 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. With it, one began to explore afresh the realm of Gods revelation and other treasures of our faith. AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY 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. Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. 4 0 obj In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, between 10% and 15% of respondents are Muslim. 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]. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. I am not a historian, and I have not done careful thinking in this direction. The theological horizon continues to expand. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. Holding or maintaining to a uniform doctrine is not the essence of indigenous African religions. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. I find the traditional Western distinction between "special revelation" and "general revelation" to be inadequate and unfreeing. 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. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Some scholars choose to call it the African Traditional Religion, while others prefer to name it the African traditional Religions. Overall, however, Christians outnumber Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa by about two-to-one. Indigenous religion in Africa is the way Africans understand and worship their god. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 0000000016 00000 n What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. This is, obviously, a general statement, one which needs detailed elaboration. 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 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. Oxford: Clarendon, 1994. 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. It sensitized my thinking in many areas, one of these being the quest for Christian unity. Indigenous African religions are by nature plural, varied, and usually informed by ones ethnic identity, where ones family came from in Africa. degree at Harvard Divinity School. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. In one case the thinking and experience of the people produced a written record of Gods dealings with the Jewish people in particular. We have already noted that the overseas missionaries did not bring God to Africa. That finished the interview. So I read on and on, and conducted field research to learn more and more. I simply and honestly answered him that "for us in Africa, God is not dead." This article appeared in the Christian Century, August 27- September 3, 1980, pp. Updates? (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). In Africa the traditional religions are a major source for the study of the African experience of God. Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. I am tantalized by the fact that my vision cannot cope with that horizon. When this happens, then a passage such as Hebrews 1:1-3 rolls down like mighty waters, full of exciting possibilities of theological reflection. religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. Its about getting tangible results. %PDF-1.7 % Par consquent, Mbali-Dieu est la rponse crative des Biras une rencontre religieuse syncrtique. African immigrants and slaves worked to maintain traditional religious and social practices in their new surroundings. In three of the countries surveyed (Djibouti, Mali and Senegal), Muslims clearly outnumber Christians. A prominent European New Testament professor visited Makerere University and interviewed me on what I thought about the "death of God" discussion. The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. 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. Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. 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. GAZETTE: What is the state of indigenous African religions today? Supreme Court may halt health care guarantees for inmates, Why police resist reforms to militarization, Historian says Fla. dispute shows why AP class in African American studies is needed, Low-carb diet can help manage progression of Type 2 diabetes, Those breezy TV drug ads? Then was he not there in other times and in such places as Mount Fuji and Mount Kenya, as well as Mount Sinai? This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition . Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. 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. But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. 0000005714 00000 n Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? 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 . For over 200 years, Africans, largely from the west coast of Africa, were brought to the United States in the slave trade. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge in 1963, the year that Honest to God, by J.A.T. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. C'est l'poque de la colonisation belge que les premiers missionnaires catholiques et protestants sont arrivs dans cette rgion du Zare. A magisterial historical synthesis of the formative period of African Christianity written by one of its foremost scholars. 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society 0000014025 00000 n The councils programs in response to these problems are impressive. This re-ligion is found in almost all the activities of the African man. 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 . 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. But upon my return to work in Africa, and upon careful study of the religious background of our people, there emerged gradually the demand to examine this issue and to form my own judgment. The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." I want to reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. 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. 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. They will certainly be overwhelming, and I feel very excited about them. 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. In the other case no such written record exists. 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. 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. <>stream African spirituality has always been able to adapt to change and allow itself to absorb the wisdom and views of other religions, much more than, for example, Christianity and Islam. In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. 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. 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. Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. 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. Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. In four countries (Chad, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria and Tanzania), the number of Christians and Muslims is more equally divided, with a ratio of less than two-to-one in either direction.2 The other countries surveyed are predominantly Christian with Muslim minorities of varying sizes.
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