), 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. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation. 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). Indeed, ten years ago I had no significant theological position. African development. 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. That is anathema to the fundamentalist faith movements that have been gaining momentum in recent decades. Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. "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 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. And this witness deserves ones support through service and prayer. Vodou is an oral tradition practiced by extended families that inherit familial spirits, along with the necessary devotional practices, from their elders. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 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. 0000014207 00000 n 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. Because of this, Africa is now home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim communities. Corrections? Religious pluralism serves peace. 0 For this reason, some African theologians take African religiosity to be one of the sources of theological reflection (besides the Bible, Christian heritage, etc.). Par consquent, Mbali-Dieu est la rponse crative des Biras une rencontre religieuse syncrtique. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . The word Vodou means spirit or deity in the Fon language of the African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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. 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. As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. Author of. I also celebrate and honor the kings festivals and ceremonies in my hometown and other places where I live and do research. Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . 43. I want to reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Abstract. Indigenous religion in Africa is the way Africans understand and worship their 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. 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. That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over. According to all the major surveys, Christianity and Islam each represent approximately 40 percent of the African population. The book comprised ideas that I had gathered from 300 African peoples ("tribes" -- a term that today is sometimes used in derogatory ways). trailer 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. Anthropologica The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). I am not a historian, and I have not done careful thinking in this direction. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. That testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. But Gods dealings with the African people are recorded, nevertheless, in living form -- oral communication, rituals, symbols, ceremonies, community faith. Their history has a theological meaning. This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. In Nigeria, the population in 1900 included 4.2 million Muslims and 180,000 Christians. 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. 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. 0000002264 00000 n Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous 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. Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. At many points I see intriguing parallels between the biblical record and African religiosity. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. But in practical terms, there is a Christian Yes to African religiosity. One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. 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. In 1988 the society changed its name to the Canadian Anthropology Society to clarify its identity and emphasize its role as an anthropology association. The God described in the Bible is none other than the God who is already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. Belief in the power of such objects is highest in Senegal (75%) and lowest in Rwanda (5%). Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. 0000003217 00000 n 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. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. 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. Current articles and subscription information can be found at www.christiancentury.org. GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam . No viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there. God was not a stranger to African peoples. When this happens, then a passage such as Hebrews 1:1-3 rolls down like mighty waters, full of exciting possibilities of theological reflection. Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. I have seen the quest more sharply. startxref Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. 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. Consequently, traditional Africans have different ideas on what role the ancestors play in the lives of living descendants. Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. OLUPONA: Your question underscores an important facet about African spirituality: It is not a closed theological system. 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. 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. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. In Africa the traditional religions are a major source for the study of the African experience of God. My findings were used in teaching, but eventually I put them together in a book, Concepts of God in Africa, published by the British publisher SPCK (1970). 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. He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish people. I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. Some scholars choose to call it the African Traditional Religion, while others prefer to name it the African traditional Religions. Olupona earned his bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. GAZETTE: But yet you said its a mixed bag? Liberia is the only country where more than one-in-ten (12%) identify primarily with an African traditional religion. 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. It includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. 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. % Take em with a grain of salt. 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. My research into and teaching of African religion has led to another important area of development. 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. v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ The decisive word here is "only." The first African captives entered England's North American colonies through Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. African spirituality is truly holistic. The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. The council made me aware, perhaps even frightfully so, of the problems of our world. There is not space here to argue the case for the role played by African religion in the establishment of the Christian faith in Africa. 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. They proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ. The suppression of ancestor worship is the only area where mission Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. Indigenous African religions are by nature plural, varied, and usually informed by ones ethnic identity, where ones family came from in Africa. 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. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. 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: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa. 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. 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. Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. (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 Africans consequently played a crucial role in establishing the doctrines and theology of the early church. 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. He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. 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. I wont pray to an orisa, but I will affirm the importance of my connection with members of my age group. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God. While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. <<6D546C3FADADB2110A00A09A6B9CFF7F>]/Prev 416812>> 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. I was like a snail shyly peeping out of its house after a heavy thunderstorm. 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. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? Supreme Court may halt health care guarantees for inmates, Why police resist reforms to militarization, Historian says Fla. dispute shows why AP class in African American studies is needed, Low-carb diet can help manage progression of Type 2 diabetes, Those breezy TV drug ads? 817-820. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main 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 Pew Forums survey finds a similar number of people in Guinea Bissau identifying themselves as Muslim (38%) but a much higher percentage identifying themselves as Christian (62%) and very few describing themselves mainly as practitioners of traditional African faiths. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. 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 see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. Oxford: Clarendon, 1994. It is the southern two-thirds of Africa (including Madagascar) which we can rightly call Christian Africa, as the northern one-third is Muslim Africa. That finished the interview. This approach is intended to shed further light on the problem of African cultural influence and .