He went on to conduct some of the most significant research on African religions in decades. Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. 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. Author of. Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. This rapid spreading of the Christian faith where people have been predominantly followers of African religion provokes interesting questions. 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. Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. colonization_terms_apush.docx - ` Units 1 and 2 Vocabulary Indigenous African religions are by nature plural, varied, and usually informed by ones ethnic identity, where ones family came from in Africa. 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. 0000002026 00000 n 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 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. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. That is anathema to the fundamentalist faith movements that have been gaining momentum in recent decades. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. %PDF-1.7 % It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. Religious syncretism - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . 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. 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. OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. These were not empty names. No doubt there still remain much research and reflection to be done in order to work out a consistent theological understanding of the issues entailed here. I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. 0000014207 00000 n Indigenous religion in Africa is the way Africans understand and worship their god. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. 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. They were names of one and the same God, the creator of the world, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. This is, obviously, a general statement, one which needs detailed elaboration. I am very excited, for example, by the estimate that in 1987 there will be a statistical balance of Christian population between the north (Europe, Soviet Union and America) and the south (Latin America, Africa, Asia and Oceania). In this overpowering environment, one simply accepted this stand and looked at the world from its perspectives. 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. The original constitution defined the organization's mandate as providing a forum for the exchange of ideas among ethnologists. While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. In particular, the concepts about God provide one area of great commonality. 43. 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 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. But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. What is African Traditional Religion? Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. A prominent European New Testament professor visited Makerere University and interviewed me on what I thought about the "death of God" discussion. Below is the article summary. 0000002264 00000 n Afro-American Religious Syncretism in Brazil and the United States: A Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society Take em with a grain of salt. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. In 1988 the society changed its name to the Canadian Anthropology Society to clarify its identity and emphasize its role as an anthropology association. In the 17th century a movement led by the German Protestant theologian George Calixtus aimed at reconciling the differences between the Protestants in Germany, but his efforts were disparaged by orthodox Christian leaders as syncretistic. 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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 75 19 And in Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia, the survey finds that 5% or less identify as Muslim. African Traditional Religion in the Context of Christian and Islamic The church is composed largely of people who come out of the African religious background. 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. Awolawu and Depamu (1979) 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. 0000002884 00000 n African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. The rural Bira of northeastern Zaire have been exposed to the Christian message for well over half a century. I also celebrate and honor the kings festivals and ceremonies in my hometown and other places where I live and do research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation. Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. There are also secret societies, called Bizango or Sanpwl, that perform a religio-juridical function. Amen. Its consequences for theological and ecclesiological developments are yet to be faced. 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. 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. My doctoral studies in New Testament eschatology led me also to the field of Christology. What factors are responsible for it? Holding or maintaining to a uniform doctrine is not the essence of indigenous African religions. 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. 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. It is here that I have discovered the church in Burma, in the Pacific islands, the house church in China, the basic Christian communities in Latin America, the struggling church in South Africa, plus countless other endeavors of Christians all over the world. 0000002505 00000 n 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. 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. It sensitized my thinking in many areas, one of these being the quest for Christian unity. v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ African Traditional Religion in the Context of increasing Christian and Islamic Encounter . 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). Consequently, traditional Africans have different ideas on what role the ancestors play in the lives of living descendants. In three of the countries surveyed (Djibouti, Mali and Senegal), Muslims clearly outnumber Christians. 0000001519 00000 n The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. African scholars Anthropologica is published for CASCA by University of Toronto Press. Some people tried to involve Africa in the debate. Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. They will certainly be overwhelming, and I feel very excited about them. Updates? First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. 0000001198 00000 n 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. 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. Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. Corrections? At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. 0000008365 00000 n 0000000676 00000 n I have concentrated these comments on the role of African background in my theological reflection. Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. 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%. 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. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation | Pew Research Center This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. ), 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. With it, one began to explore afresh the realm of Gods revelation and other treasures of our faith. I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax In these congregations, knowledge is passed on through a ritual of initiation (kanzo) in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. endobj A calendar of ritual feasts, syncretized with the Roman Catholic calendar, provides the yearly rhythm of religious practice. 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. Because of this, Africa is now home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim communities. (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. Par contre, les croyances en la sorcellerie ont persist. My research into and teaching of African religion has led to another important area of development. 75 0 obj Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. The councils programs in response to these problems are impressive. C'est l'poque de la colonisation belge que les premiers missionnaires catholiques et protestants sont arrivs dans cette rgion du Zare. GAZETTE: But yet you said its a mixed bag? That finished the interview. There are also other parallels in social, political and cultural areas, just as there are some significant differences. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. The spirituality of Africa - Harvard Gazette If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. 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. I want to walk with Jesus of Nazareth on the shores of Lake Galilee and the hillsides of Judea, through the gates of Jerusalem. {PB,`s Wendy Sherman, who was the lead U.S. negotiator in the nuclear deal with Iran, was welcomed by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School. The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. It was during the Belgian colonial period that the first Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to this region of Zaire. 9_r'v>#z2"syiBm?mry8%;m8v L,WNHitMJk#RZwEl+M3N1n[nt4]C$i2y]_6Iasrt The council made me aware, perhaps even frightfully so, of the problems of our world. An old African adage says: The sky is large enough for birds to fly around without one having to bump into the other.. Ethiopia's Christian population, at 6 million in 1900, will grow to a projected 100 million in 2050. The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. 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. 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. But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. These impinge upon their daily life- and experience of the Christian faith. OLUPONA: Your question underscores an important facet about African spirituality: It is not a closed theological system. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. The introduced religions of Islam (in northern Africa) and Christianity (in southern Africa) are now the continent's major religions, but traditional religions still play an important role, especially in the interior of sub-Saharan Africa. It will keep me chewing for a long time, and it will most certainly feed my theological development. 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. So I read on and on, and conducted field research to learn more and more. But Gods dealings with the African people are recorded, nevertheless, in living form -- oral communication, rituals, symbols, ceremonies, community faith. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender. 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 As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. Omissions? Updates? 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. 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.
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