One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. The continued influence of traditional African religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life. 0000001519 00000 n
Holding or maintaining to a uniform doctrine is not the essence of indigenous African religions. These statements await further exploration by African theologians. 0000002884 00000 n
This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. 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. The previous year I had published African Religions and Philosophy (Doubleday, 1969). 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%). X0#J++?U;_3_gmx9[F\"{,Um1yu 9
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Anthropologica 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. 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. That testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. Its consequences for theological and ecclesiological developments are yet to be faced. He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish people. 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. I want to walk with Jesus of Nazareth on the shores of Lake Galilee and the hillsides of Judea, through the gates of Jerusalem. Omissions? %%EOF African Traditional Religion in the Context of increasing Christian and Islamic Encounter . African scholars All too often, the result is conflict and radicalisation. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer, By Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent. Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. But after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. Many other familial feasts (for the sacred children, for the poor, for particular ancestors) as well as initiations and funerary rituals occur throughout the year. We have already noted that the overseas missionaries did not bring God to Africa. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. 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. In most countries, however, less than one-in-twenty say this is their primary religious affiliation. While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that 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. 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. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Religious pluralism serves peace. 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. At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. That experience gave me a face-to-face encounter with the ecumenical movement and left a lasting mark on me. 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. 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. 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). 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. (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. 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. That is anathema to the fundamentalist faith movements that have been gaining momentum in recent decades. For this reason, some African theologians take African religiosity to be one of the sources of theological reflection (besides the Bible, Christian heritage, etc.). A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. 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. Updates? Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. 0000001791 00000 n
There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. It publishes a journal Anthropologica and has reclaimed the name of its former journal, Culture for its occasional online bulletin. hb```b``g`a`.ef@ aV68+ +$.0t9$r8A2Or}6=<4. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. Current articles and subscription information can be found at www.christiancentury.org. 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. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. 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. degree at Harvard Divinity School. <>stream
trailer Corrections? (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. They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam . 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. 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. 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. Islam And Christianity Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. 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. 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. %PDF-1.7
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x\u}4`P}E#(9q"%LCl'KLb)Sfgdq N The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. Humans are spirits who inhabit the visible world. Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. Omissions? 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. Alternate titles: Vaudou, Vodun, Voodoo, Voudou, vodon, Elizabeth McAlister Associate Professor of Religion, Weslyan University. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. (See the glossary for more information on juju. 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 . 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. I want to see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. They constitute an important channel of the churchs prophetic witness today. 0000008365 00000 n
What factors are responsible for it? Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. It will keep me chewing for a long time, and it will most certainly feed my theological development. According to all the major surveys, Christianity and Islam each represent approximately 40 percent of the African population. 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. An old African adage says: The sky is large enough for birds to fly around without one having to bump into the other.. The word Vodou means spirit or deity in the Fon language of the African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. 0000014207 00000 n
The councils programs in response to these problems are impressive. The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. Updates? 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. We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. GAZETTE: Are ancestors considered deities in the traditional African cosmology? But the basic truth seems to be that Gods revelation is not confined to the biblical record. GAZETTE: What allows African indigenous religions to be so accommodating? Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. Author of. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. 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). Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. Today, the country claims about 80 million of each . The Pew Forums survey found 52% of the population is Muslim. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ 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 more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. GAZETTE: But yet you said its a mixed bag? I find the traditional Western distinction between "special revelation" and "general revelation" to be inadequate and unfreeing. Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. 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. 0000001586 00000 n
The Church in Africa, 1450-1950. In this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. 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. 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. 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. What is African Traditional Religion? Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. Corrections? 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. 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. Yet . Updates? 43. Its about getting tangible results. This article appeared in the Christian Century, August 27- September 3, 1980, pp. 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 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. OLUPONA: One of the basic reasons is that indigenous African spiritual beliefs are not bound by a written text, like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I am not a historian, and I have not done careful thinking in this direction. This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock. Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. 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. endobj Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. I have concentrated these comments on the role of African background in my theological reflection. That finished the interview. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. 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. The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. 0000002026 00000 n
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. If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. 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 0 Robinson, came out. Below is the article summary. 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. settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas 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. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. I want to make a pilgrimage into Christ. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. Olupona earned his bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. I have met here the church not only in its geographical outreach but also in its historical roots -- seeing, for example, the rich traditions of the Orthodox Church, the universality of the Roman Catholic Church (even though it is based in the Vatican), the reconciling positioning of the Anglican Communion, the dynamic vitality of African independent churches, and so on. 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). What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. 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. 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. Awolawu and Depamu (1979) God was not a stranger to African peoples. In respect and honor of my culture, I also dress in my traditional Nigerian attire when Im in my country. 0000003217 00000 n
First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. Instead, God brought them. Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. OLUPONA: Yes, its a mixed bag because in the African diaspora mostly due to the slave trade starting in the 15th century indigenous African religions have spread and taken root all over the world, including in the United States and Europe. % 9_r'v>#z2"syiBm?mry8%;m8v
L,WNHitMJk#RZwEl+M3N1n[nt4]C$i2y]_6Iasrt OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. 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. 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. OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. 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. In Africa the traditional religions are a major source for the study of the African experience of God. "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.