I had it. 9_r'v>#z2"syiBm?mry8%;m8v L,WNHitMJk#RZwEl+M3N1n[nt4]C$i2y]_6Iasrt And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. 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. GAZETTE: But yet you said its a mixed bag? I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. It was during the Belgian colonial period that the first Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to this region of Zaire. 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. The original constitution defined the organization's mandate as providing a forum for the exchange of ideas among ethnologists. settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. But after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. OLUPONA: Your question underscores an important facet about African spirituality: It is not a closed theological system. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer, By Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent. 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. 817-820. The church is composed largely of people who come out of the African religious background. 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. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. (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. Islam And Christianity Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. I cannot claim that I have witnessed much progress in that quest at the organizational level, but perhaps I had expected too much. 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. Today, the country claims about 80 million of each . This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock. For this reason, some African theologians take African religiosity to be one of the sources of theological reflection (besides the Bible, Christian heritage, etc.). It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). Indigenous religion in Africa is the way Africans understand and worship their god. God was not a stranger to African peoples. He later earned both an M.A. 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. I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge in 1963, the year that Honest to God, by J.A.T. It is in this complex of religiosity that the preaching of the gospel makes sense; it is this preparedness that has undergirded the spreading of the gospel like wildfire among African societies which had hitherto followed and practiced traditional religion. But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? 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. We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. Currently I am about to complete a book on this question of the encounter between the biblical faith and African religion. 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. Oxford: Clarendon, 1994. But I have discovered that there is also the fundamental factor of African religion, without which this phenomenal expansion of Christianity would not be a reality. 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. It will keep me chewing for a long time, and it will most certainly feed my theological development. 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. In Kenya I grew up in home, school and church milieus which held that the African religious and cultural background was demonic and anti-Christian. 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%). Author of. Omissions? 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. 0000003217 00000 n 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. Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. Overall, however, Christians outnumber Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa by about two-to-one. 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. 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). Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. 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. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. 75 19 << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> Today most Zairians belong to either the Catholic or Protestant church, and the Bira themselves are predominantly Catholic. 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$! 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 is not a biblical distinction. 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. On returning home, the learned professor wrote an article using my brief answer as his title. I have seen the quest more sharply. Reuben Kigame, the Kenyan Christian musician and apologist, has rightly suggested that considering the fact that Christianity existed in Africa for a good eighteen centuries before the. That finished the interview. 0000003641 00000 n God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. Their history has a theological meaning. 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. There are other areas of exploration in which I continue to be engaged. The introduced religions of Islam (in northern Africa) and Christianity (in southern Africa) are now the continents major religions, but traditional religions still play an important role, especially in the interior of sub-Saharan Africa. What factors are responsible for it? My findings were used in teaching, but eventually I put them together in a book, Concepts of God in Africa, published by the British publisher SPCK (1970). It sensitized my thinking in many areas, one of these being the quest for Christian unity. 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society No viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there. 0000008365 00000 n Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. Of course, behind all these factors is the Holy Spirit working through them. Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. 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? So, "Lord, help Thou my unbelief!" 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. 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. Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. In this overpowering environment, one simply accepted this stand and looked at the world from its perspectives. 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 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. African religion has equipped people to listen to the gospel, to discover meaningful passages in the Bible, and to avoid unhealthy religious conflict. I was like a snail shyly peeping out of its house after a heavy thunderstorm. 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. 0000014025 00000 n 0000002884 00000 n He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish people. Aujourd'hui, la plupart des Zariens sont soit catholiques, soit protestants; les Biras pour leur part sont principalement catholiques. 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 find the traditional Western distinction between "special revelation" and "general revelation" to be inadequate and unfreeing. Later, my theological studies in America and England did not challenge this position, since that was not a living issue for my professors and fellow students. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions ), 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. African Traditional Religion in the Context of increasing Christian and Islamic Encounter . 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. 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 Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. 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. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? All too often, the result is conflict and radicalisation. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. The decisive word here is "only." 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). At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? But in practical terms, there is a Christian Yes to African religiosity. When this happens, then a passage such as Hebrews 1:1-3 rolls down like mighty waters, full of exciting possibilities of theological reflection. X0#J++?U;_3_gmx9[F\"{,Um1yu 9 ?ce%9EG`N: &U0EHC$p4=$'=DlX6M_7,--" A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief. Awolawu and Depamu (1979) I want to walk with Jesus of Nazareth on the shores of Lake Galilee and the hillsides of Judea, through the gates of Jerusalem. 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. Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. (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. The Pew Forums survey found 52% of the population is Muslim. The first and most intriguing topic that immediately engaged my attention was the thinking of African peoples about God. Anthropologica is published for CASCA by University of Toronto Press. He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? 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. 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"). Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. GAZETTE: What is the state of indigenous African religions today? 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. While the recourse to traditional healers may be motivated in part by economic reasons and an absence of health care alternatives, it may also be rooted in religious beliefs about the efficacy of this approach. What is African Traditional Religion? Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. 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. 0000001791 00000 n Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. Corrections? And this witness deserves ones support through service and prayer. 43. 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. Africans consequently played a crucial role in establishing the doctrines and theology of the early church. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. 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). 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. 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. This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. 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. Its about getting tangible results. I have concentrated these comments on the role of African background in my theological reflection. 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. 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. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Abstract. 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. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. % African immigrants and slaves worked to maintain traditional religious and social practices in their new surroundings. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. trailer But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. (back to text), Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis, Part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. These were not empty names. But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. The rural Bira of northeastern Zaire have been exposed to the Christian message for well over half a century. Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. 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. 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. African spirituality is truly holistic. degree at Harvard Divinity School. We have already noted that the overseas missionaries did not bring God to Africa. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? These statements await further exploration by African theologians. 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 . Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. 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. My doctoral studies in New Testament eschatology led me also to the field of Christology. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Some scholars choose to call it the African Traditional Religion, while others prefer to name it the African traditional Religions. This re-ligion is found in almost all the activities of the African man. At many points I see intriguing parallels between the biblical record and African religiosity. They were names of one and the same God, the creator of the world, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In most countries, however, less than one-in-twenty say this is their primary religious affiliation. 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. Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. They constitute an important channel of the churchs prophetic witness today. In this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. 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