I am not a historian, and I have not done careful thinking in this direction. endobj 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. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation | Pew Research Center % In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). I have seen the quest more sharply. OLUPONA: Your question underscores an important facet about African spirituality: It is not a closed theological system. But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. 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. They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam . There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. 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. 0000001198 00000 n Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. Following a period of parish work in England, I went to teach at Makerere University, Uganda, where I remained for ten years until 1974. (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. 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]. 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. The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. 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. Omissions? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. "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. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. 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). There are other areas of exploration in which I continue to be engaged. Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. GAZETTE: Are ancestors considered deities in the traditional African cosmology? 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. 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. Modernity has not put a total stop to its influence. But Gods dealings with the African people are recorded, nevertheless, in living form -- oral communication, rituals, symbols, ceremonies, community faith. OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, between 10% and 15% of respondents are Muslim. PDF Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The postcolonial religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. x\u}4`P}E#(9q"%LCl'KLb)Sfgdq N In 1988 the society changed its name to the Canadian Anthropology Society to clarify its identity and emphasize its role as an anthropology association. 93 0 obj The first African captives entered England's North American colonies through Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. 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. (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 They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 0000001791 00000 n Of course, behind all these factors is the Holy Spirit working through them. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax In respect and honor of my culture, I also dress in my traditional Nigerian attire when Im in my country. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. This approach is intended to shed further light on the problem of African cultural influence and . Its consequences for theological and ecclesiological developments are yet to be faced. I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge in 1963, the year that Honest to God, by J.A.T. Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. Robinson, came out. What factors are responsible for it? 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. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. %PDF-1.7 % Some people tried to involve Africa in the debate. Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (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. 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. 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. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. PDF Traditional African Religion and Modern Christianity in Zaire - JSTOR I was like a snail shyly peeping out of its house after a heavy thunderstorm. They proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. My doctoral studies in New Testament eschatology led me also to the field of Christology. Amen. The Story of Africa| BBC World Service - Logo of the BBC While Islam and Christianity tend to . African Traditional Religion in the Context of increasing Christian and Islamic Encounter . Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. AP US History Period 1, APUSH Period 1 Flashcards | Quizlet 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. This was an extremely liberating word in my theological thinking. I should add that without claiming to be full members of indigenous traditions, there are many professed Christians and Muslims who participate in one form of indigenous religious rituals and practices or another. 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. Its aim is to develop an extensive library of resources, representing many different points of view, but all written from the perspective of sound scholarship. First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. 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. God was not a stranger to African peoples. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. There are also secret societies, called Bizango or Sanpwl, that perform a religio-juridical function. Their history has a theological meaning. APUSH Unit 1 Flashcards | Quizlet Author of. 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 the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. 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. 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. Corrections? Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation. We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. It sensitized my thinking in many areas, one of these being the quest for Christian unity. I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. 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. 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. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. These statements await further exploration by African theologians. settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas Corrections? stream degree at Harvard Divinity School. 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. At many points I see intriguing parallels between the biblical record and African religiosity. 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. 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. 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. OLUPONA: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa. 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. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. 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. 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. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. 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. This article appeared in the Christian Century, August 27- September 3, 1980, pp. In the other case no such written record exists. 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. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. The Encounter of Christian Faith and African Religion (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. (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. in social anthropology from Oxford University, is studying for a master of theological studies (M.T.S.) Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main 0000002026 00000 n 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. In three of the countries surveyed (Djibouti, Mali and Senegal), Muslims clearly outnumber Christians. For example, an African amulet might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible. <> Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. 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. Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. According to all the major surveys, Christianity and Islam each represent approximately 40 percent of the African population. 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. 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. Anthropologica Below is the article summary. 0000001019 00000 n Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. African religion has equipped people to listen to the gospel, to discover meaningful passages in the Bible, and to avoid unhealthy religious conflict. Abstract. 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. 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. 0 Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. 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. There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. In particular, the concepts about God provide one area of great commonality. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. This rapid spreading of the Christian faith where people have been predominantly followers of African religion provokes interesting questions. Anthropologica is published for CASCA by University of Toronto Press. Vodou | Definition, History, West African Vodun, & Facts As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. A semi-annual journal, it publishes peer-reviewed articles in both French and English devoted to social and cultural issues whether they are pre-historic, historic, contemporary, biological, linguistic, applied or theoretical in orientation. African Traditional Religion in the Context of Christian and Islamic They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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 after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. This re-ligion is found in almost all the activities of the African man. OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. 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. Belief in the power of such objects is highest in Senegal (75%) and lowest in Rwanda (5%). 0000000016 00000 n 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%). God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. The Pew Forums survey found 52% of the population is Muslim. colonization_terms_apush.docx - ` Units 1 and 2 Vocabulary OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. 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. 0000001586 00000 n Today most Zairians belong to either the Catholic or Protestant church, and the Bira themselves are predominantly Catholic. The spirituality of Africa - Harvard Gazette The previous year I had published African Religions and Philosophy (Doubleday, 1969). Indeed, ten years ago I had no significant theological position. Omissions? 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). If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. 4 0 obj The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. 300 ce). This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock. 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 That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over. 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. Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. The council made me aware, perhaps even frightfully so, of the problems of our world. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. With it, one began to explore afresh the realm of Gods revelation and other treasures of our faith. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. 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. This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. When this happens, then a passage such as Hebrews 1:1-3 rolls down like mighty waters, full of exciting possibilities of theological reflection.
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