They are not mutually exclusive. An old African adage says: The sky is large enough for birds to fly around without one having to bump into the other.. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. It was during the Belgian colonial period that the first Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to this region of Zaire. They constitute an important channel of the churchs prophetic witness today. Omissions? The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer, By Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent. 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. 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. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. 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. Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest. %%EOF Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Corrections? OLUPONA: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa. (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). 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. He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. Omissions? 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. 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. I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge in 1963, the year that Honest to God, by J.A.T. Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. In the end, I believe that Africans can make room for a plurality of religious points of view without one religious point of view excluding or compromising the other. One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. These statements await further exploration by African theologians. 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. In lieu of these traditional African ways of defining oneself, Christianity and Islam are gradually creating a social identity in Africa that cuts across these indigenous African religious and social identities. Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. 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. African Christianity - African Studies - Oxford Bibliographies - obo There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. What factors are responsible for it? And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. Religious syncretism - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica The theological horizon continues to expand. But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. Their culture, history, world views and spiritual aspirations cannot be taken away from them. GAZETTE: What else would we lose if we lost traditional African Religions? 0000002264 00000 n 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. The Story of Africa| BBC World Service - Logo of the BBC This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock. (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. 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. I have received much in a short period. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . %PDF-1.3 The Church in Africa, 1450-1950. 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. A close geographical correlation exists between the location of African religion and the rapid expansion of the Christian faith. National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Vodou's role in Haitian mental health, Learn Religions - An Introduction to the Basic Beliefs of the Vodou (Voodoo) Religion, Ancient Origins - The Origins of Voodoo, the Misunderstood Religion, LiveScience - Voodoo: Facts About Misunderstood Religion, Vodou - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Vodou - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). 817-820. Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. I want to reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. 0000001019 00000 n Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over. Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). That finished the interview. Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. 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. 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. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). x\u}4`P}E#(9q"%LCl'KLb)Sfgdq N Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. 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 Africa the traditional religions are a major source for the study of the African experience of God. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that With it, one began to explore afresh the realm of Gods revelation and other treasures of our faith. (PDF) Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The The first African captives entered England's North American colonies through Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. In most countries, however, less than one-in-twenty say this is their primary religious affiliation. He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish people. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. African Traditional Religion in the Context of increasing Christian and Islamic Encounter . Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. The church is composed largely of people who come out of the African religious background. hb```b``g`a`.ef@ aV68+ +$.0t9$r8A2Or}6=<4. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. Religious pluralism serves peace. 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. While Islam and Christianity tend to . Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. 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 At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. <> Yet . Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, between 10% and 15% of respondents are Muslim. God was not a stranger to African peoples. Islam And Christianity Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. 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. Everywhere he went in southwestern Nigeria, he never opposed or spoke out against African culture including initiation rites, festivals, and traditional Yoruba dress as long as it didnt directly conflict with Christianity. We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. How Africa Is Changing Faith Around the World 0000000676 00000 n While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. In these congregations, knowledge is passed on through a ritual of initiation (kanzo) in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation. At many points I see intriguing parallels between the biblical record and African religiosity. in social anthropology from Oxford University, is studying for a master of theological studies (M.T.S.) 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. This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. ancient Rome: Religious and cultural life in the 3rd century, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/religious-syncretism, Academia - Religious Syncretism as a Syncretistic Concept: The Inadequacy of the " World Religions " Paradigm in Cross-Cultural Encounter. Ethiopia's Christian population, at 6 million in 1900, will grow to a projected 100 million in 2050. 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%). Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 0000001519 00000 n 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. Updates? I wont pray to an orisa, but I will affirm the importance of my connection with members of my age group. 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. This is not an empty coincidence. 0000001586 00000 n It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. Current articles and subscription information can be found at www.christiancentury.org. xref There are other areas of exploration in which I continue to be engaged. Corrections? I have seen the quest more sharply. 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. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. In its place there emerged the word "also." 0000001198 00000 n They were names of one and the same God, the creator of the world, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 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. If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. 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. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> 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. 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. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. <>stream 75 0 obj Corrections? A prominent European New Testament professor visited Makerere University and interviewed me on what I thought about the "death of God" discussion. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. 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. "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. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. GAZETTE: How would you define indigenous African religions? African spirituality is truly holistic. Vodou is an oral tradition practiced by extended families that inherit familial spirits, along with the necessary devotional practices, from their elders. The suppression of ancestor worship is the only area where mission Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation. Spiritual activities like prayer, thanksgiving, and the making of sacrifices were well-established facts of life for the existence and continuation of the community. The word Vodou means spirit or deity in the Fon language of the African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). 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. Oxford: Clarendon, 1994. In respect and honor of my culture, I also dress in my traditional Nigerian attire when Im in my country. 0000002884 00000 n X0#J++?U;_3_gmx9[F\"{,Um1yu 9 ?ce%9EG`N: &U0EHC$p4=$'=DlX6M_7,--" 0000002026 00000 n 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. 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. 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. ), 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. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ Today, the country claims about 80 million of each . They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam . 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 . Faith in The One God in Christian and African Traditional Religions: a That experience gave me a face-to-face encounter with the ecumenical movement and left a lasting mark on me. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. 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. God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. African religion has equipped people to listen to the gospel, to discover meaningful passages in the Bible, and to avoid unhealthy religious conflict. 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. GAZETTE: Are ancestors considered deities in the traditional African cosmology? mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. (See the glossary for more information on juju. In this overpowering environment, one simply accepted this stand and looked at the world from its perspectives. Anthropologica is published for CASCA by University of Toronto Press. It includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. That which had been seen as the enemy of the gospel turns out (to me) to be indeed a very welcoming friend. 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. Model tested on tens of thousands of routine brain scans spotted disease risk with 90% accuracy, Experts on law, policy say originalist view used to overturn Roe could upend 76 ruling based on cruel, unusual punishment clause, Issues revolve around culture of viewing civilians as potential threats, concerns about self-protection in departments equipped with military-grade arms, Khalil Gibran Muhammad says College Board needs to stand firm behind curriculum, 2023 The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. Author of. After that date there will be more Christians in the south than in the north. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Vodou | Definition, History, West African Vodun, & Facts Overall, however, Christians outnumber Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa by about two-to-one. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings.
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