Because of this, Africa is now home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim communities. 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). Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. 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. 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 . There are also other parallels in social, political and cultural areas, just as there are some significant differences. Corrections? African diaspora religions - Wikipedia 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. X0#J++?U;_3_gmx9[F\"{,Um1yu 9 ?ce%9EG`N: &U0EHC$p4=$'=DlX6M_7,--" The original constitution defined the organization's mandate as providing a forum for the exchange of ideas among ethnologists. The church is composed largely of people who come out of the African religious background. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, between 10% and 15% of respondents are Muslim. Afro-American Religious Syncretism in Brazil and the United States: A (See the glossary for more information on juju. 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 ritual activity (e.g., prayer, song, dance, and gesture) is aimed at refining and restoring balance and energy in relationships between people and between people and the spirits of the unseen world. The 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. www.ej-theology.org Christianity and Indigenisation in Africa This approach is intended to shed further light on the problem of African cultural influence and . % A subscription to Anthropologica is included in CASCA's annual membership fee. The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. I cannot claim that I have witnessed much progress in that quest at the organizational level, but perhaps I had expected too much. {PB,`s Overall, however, Christians outnumber Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa by about two-to-one. Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. African Traditional Religion in the Context of increasing Christian and Islamic Encounter . Some scholars choose to call it the African Traditional Religion, while others prefer to name it the African traditional Religions. 0000000676 00000 n 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. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Religious pluralism serves peace | D+C - Development + Cooperation 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. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. It will keep me chewing for a long time, and it will most certainly feed my theological development. AP US History Period 1, APUSH Period 1 Flashcards | Quizlet 0000014207 00000 n 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. Outline of the Curricular Framework: Anglicanization Atlantic slave trade "Atlantic World" Barbados (sugar) British-American system of slavery the Carolinas (rice) Caste system cereal crops Colonial resistance Dominion of New England Enlightenment Furs Great Awakening Indentured Servants Mercantilism Metis Models of colonization Molasses Act 0000001019 00000 n Anthropologica 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. Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. 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. Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. In most of the 19 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Centers Forum on Religion & Public Life, 90% or more of the respondents say they belong to one of these faiths. degree at Harvard Divinity School. Liberia is the only country where more than one-in-ten (12%) identify primarily with an African traditional religion. But the basic truth seems to be that Gods revelation is not confined to the biblical record. 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. I simply and honestly answered him that "for us in Africa, God is not dead." (back to text), 2 The World Religion Database estimates that roughly four-in-ten people in Guinea Bissau are Muslim and approximately one-in-ten are Christian, with the rest of the population associated with traditional African religions. 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. 0 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. APUSH Unit 1 Flashcards | Quizlet 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%. 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. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. 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. 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. PDF African American Christianity - Harvard University While Islam and Christianity tend to . AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY But Gods dealings with the African people are recorded, nevertheless, in living form -- oral communication, rituals, symbols, ceremonies, community faith. Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest. The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. 0000002884 00000 n Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. The rural Bira of northeastern Zaire have been exposed to the Christian message for well over half a century. 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%). Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa are the only countries surveyed where a significant number of people (roughly one-in-ten) describe their religion as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular. In all the other countries, the figure is closer to zero. It publishes a journal Anthropologica and has reclaimed the name of its former journal, Culture for its occasional online bulletin. Following a period of parish work in England, I went to teach at Makerere University, Uganda, where I remained for ten years until 1974. 43. <<6D546C3FADADB2110A00A09A6B9CFF7F>]/Prev 416812>> I have concentrated these comments on the role of African background in my theological reflection. The Pew Forums survey found 52% of the population is Muslim. That experience gave me a face-to-face encounter with the ecumenical movement and left a lasting mark on me. GAZETTE: Are ancestors considered deities in the traditional African cosmology? OLUPONA: We would lose a worldview that has collectively sustained, enriched, and given meaning to a continent and numerous other societies for centuries through its epistemology, metaphysics, history, and practices. Par contre, les croyances en la sorcellerie ont persist. There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. 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. 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. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish 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. 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. (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 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. The WCCs very existence as a council of churches is a living hope. Dr. Mbiti is on the staff of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? 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). Updates? 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. 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. 0000001198 00000 n But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. 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 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]. That is anathema to the fundamentalist faith movements that have been gaining momentum in recent decades. But I am grateful for that one step I may be taking under the light of this vision. 0000001586 00000 n In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. 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. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender. 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"). 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. 817-820. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was. And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. 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. These were not empty names. 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. An old African adage says: The sky is large enough for birds to fly around without one having to bump into the other.. Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). 0000005714 00000 n In particular, the concepts about God provide one area of great commonality. 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. Africans consequently played a crucial role in establishing the doctrines and theology of the early church. 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.. Orthodox Christianity, although influenced by other religions, generally looked negatively upon these syncretistic movements. Vodou is an oral tradition practiced by extended families that inherit familial spirits, along with the necessary devotional practices, from their elders. Olupona earned his bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975. My interpretation of Israels history demands a new look at the history of African peoples, among whom this same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has indeed been at work. Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . That testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. The Story of Africa| BBC World Service - Logo of the BBC 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. ), 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. One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. 0000003641 00000 n The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). interaction between the Christian churches and West African religious culture. xref 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. 0000003217 00000 n %PDF-1.3 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. (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. With it, one began to explore afresh the realm of Gods revelation and other treasures of our faith. In Africa the traditional religions are a major source for the study of the African experience of God. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. Corrections? 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. 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. The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. "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. Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. Subscriptions are available to libraries and individuals who are not members of CASCA. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 0000008365 00000 n Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society.
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