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. 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. The theological horizon continues to expand. But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. I want to walk with Jesus of Nazareth on the shores of Lake Galilee and the hillsides of Judea, through the gates of Jerusalem. Islam And Christianity Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. 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. 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. But in practical terms, there is a Christian Yes to African religiosity. 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. Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). (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. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. This article appeared in the Christian Century, August 27- September 3, 1980, pp. This chapter includes information on: Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects Download chapter 3 in full (3-page PDF, <1MB) Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis I feel deeply the value of biblical studies in this exercise, and the contribution of biblical insights in this development. That which had been seen as the enemy of the gospel turns out (to me) to be indeed a very welcoming friend. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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). Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. 0000001198 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. The unseen world is populated by lwa (spirits), myst (mysteries), anvizib (the invisibles), zanj (angels), and the spirits of ancestors and the recently deceased. settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? This was an extremely liberating word in my theological thinking. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). They were names of one and the same God, the creator of the world, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 0000014207 00000 n Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. 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. In particular, the concepts about God provide one area of great commonality. The councils programs in response to these problems are impressive. 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. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God. 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 do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. They constitute an important channel of the churchs prophetic witness today. <>stream 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. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. 1"7$X9Xyyyb GNpL!9I&mxo0++44cA@5c. There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. 0000003641 00000 n X0#J++?U;_3_gmx9[F\"{,Um1yu 9 ?ce%9EG`N: &U0EHC$p4=$'=DlX6M_7,--" Instead, God brought them. degree at Harvard Divinity School. "For us in Africa, God is not dead" -- and that applies whether or not there is a written record of his relations with and concern for people. That is anathema to the fundamentalist faith movements that have been gaining momentum in recent decades. Jacob Olupona, professor of indigenous African religions at Harvard Divinity School and professor of African and African-American studies in Harvards Faculty of Arts and Sciences, recently sat down for an interview about his lifelong research on indigenous African religions. 9_r'v>#z2"syiBm?mry8%;m8v L,WNHitMJk#RZwEl+M3N1n[nt4]C$i2y]_6Iasrt Authoring or editing more than half a dozen books on religion and African culture (including the recent African Religions: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press), Olupona has researched topics ranging from the indigenous religions of Africa to the religious practices of Africans who have settled in America. Anthropologica is published for CASCA by University of Toronto Press. This is not an empty coincidence. /// Dans le nord-est du Zare, la communaut rurale Bira a t expose depuis plus de cinquante ans au message chrtien. Indigenous African religions are by nature plural, varied, and usually informed by ones ethnic identity, where ones family came from in Africa. (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. I also celebrate and honor the kings festivals and ceremonies in my hometown and other places where I live and do research. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. What is African Traditional Religion? << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> 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. 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. 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. Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. C'est l'poque de la colonisation belge que les premiers missionnaires catholiques et protestants sont arrivs dans cette rgion du Zare. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. There are other areas of exploration in which I continue to be engaged. They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam . Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. (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 the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, between 10% and 15% of respondents are Muslim. 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 . It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. The rural Bira of northeastern Zaire have been exposed to the Christian message for well over half a century. Modernity has not put a total stop to its influence. This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition . 0000000016 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. endobj Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. For instance, in a few years time, I pray that I will be participating in an age-grade festival for men around 70 years of age called Ero in my native Nigerian community in Ute, in Ondo state. Focuses on the influences of Africans and African ideas on the mission enterprise, conversion, religious innovation, and church life, but it neglects to cover the . Omissions? We have already noted that the overseas missionaries did not bring God to Africa. The decisive word here is "only." Author of. 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. Ethiopia's Christian population, at 6 million in 1900, will grow to a projected 100 million in 2050. I cannot claim that I have witnessed much progress in that quest at the organizational level, but perhaps I had expected too much. These impinge upon their daily life- and experience of the Christian faith. I had it. 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. 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. AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY 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). In this overpowering environment, one simply accepted this stand and looked at the world from its perspectives. 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. In three of the countries surveyed (Djibouti, Mali and Senegal), Muslims clearly outnumber Christians. For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. 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. 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. 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. <<6D546C3FADADB2110A00A09A6B9CFF7F>]/Prev 416812>> I find the traditional Western distinction between "special revelation" and "general revelation" to be inadequate and unfreeing. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. in social anthropology from Oxford University, is studying for a master of theological studies (M.T.S.) 0000015705 00000 n Indeed, ten years ago I had no significant theological position. Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. I have received much in a short period. As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. 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. Alternate titles: Vaudou, Vodun, Voodoo, Voudou, vodon, Elizabeth McAlister Associate Professor of Religion, Weslyan University. 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 this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. 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. 0000001519 00000 n All too often, the result is conflict and radicalisation. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. The previous year I had published African Religions and Philosophy (Doubleday, 1969). We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. A conference of mainly African theologians, held in Ghana in December 1977, said in its final communiqu: "The God of history speaks to all peoples in particular ways. 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. xref Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. That testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. 0000002884 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. 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 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. 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. Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith.
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