misconceptions about african traditional religion

This is far from the truth. Today as a minority tradition, indigenous African religions have suffered immensely from human rights abuses. For one thing, a sizable number of African myths deal with events considered to have actually happened as narrated by the people themselves or as reformulated into symbolic expressions of historical events. Courtesy Of Stevenson, Amsterdam/Cape Town/Johannesburg. To each his own. Space constraints permit me to cite only one example. Reclaim the Ancestral Traditions of African Religion! Now it is our turn to Africanize it.. His many publications include African Religions: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2014); City of 201 Gods: Il-If in Time, Space, and the Imagination (University of California Press, 2011); and Kingship, Religion, and Rituals in a Nigerian Community: A Phenomenological Study of Ondo Yoruba Festivals (Almqvist & Wiksell, 1991), which has become a model for ethnographic research among Yoruba-speaking communities. In spite of the heuristic value of V. Y. Mudimbes distinction between myth and history in Africa, and by extension the cohesion of oral and written narratives,10 the notion that myth is nonrational and unscientific while history is critical and rational is false. 8. Also, poverty is mostly concentrated among few nations in Africa or within few regions of each Nation. Every tribe and culture have their beliefs and way of life. Robert Mugabe . African Traditional Religion is the traditional religion of the African people before the coming of Islam and Christianity. Please note: They counteracted various derogatory names given to AIR. Please confirm you want to block this member. Africa is the target of western stereotypes. Indigenous African religions are not based on conversion like Islam and Christianity. Ritual enables supernatural beings to bless individuals and the community with sustenance, prosperity, and fecundity.14 Rites of passage, such as initiation ceremonies, are rituals marking personal transitions recognized and celebrated by the community. African scholars in the United States are paying increasing attention to African images in African American culture and religion.20 Some scholars, especially literary critics, now scout African American novels such as Toni Morrisons and Alice Walkers works, for glimpses of African traditions. 3. In most African cultures, history and beliefs have been explained and passed on through oral traditions and storytelling. Today, several myths are mixed with facts in describing African traditional religion. The orthodox Easternize it. Required fields are marked *. Myth #2. They are less concerned with doctrines and much more so with rituals, ceremonies, and lived practices. Post-colonial Africa is yet to be completely free from the mental slavery and stereotype created by the colonial masters. Your email address will not be published. 6. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Such dismissal has been based on the misconception and assumption that indigenous Bapedi . Many economic forecasts predict the rapid growth in the African Market. These leaders through greed and corruption ruin the image of their countries. c. masculine, feminine. Despite conversion to Islam or to Christianity, Africans continue to accommodate an indigenous worldview that occupies a vital space in the African consciousness. More so, myths encode the traditional settings of the African and their belief system. However, the Efik people of Calabar were not the only ones who believed twin children were an abomination. For example, in many African cultures, intending couples MUST perform both traditional and white weddings. Earlier researchers and missionaries portrayed them often as primitive and barbaric and ridiculed them [I give many examples in my book: White Fathers in Colonial Central Africa - a Critical Examination of V.Y. Each ceremony denotes passage from one social status to another and is an opportunity to celebrate the initiates on their journey. It is misleading to say Africa when speaking about a specific tribe, ethnic group, or country in Africa. The African tradition of female circumcision is the ritual of the rite of passage from girlhood into the realm of womanhood. Haitian Vodou is an African diasporic religion that developed in Haiti between the 16th and 19th centuries. Bolaji Idowu, John Mbiti, Wande Abimbola, Benjamin Ray, Gabriel Setiloane, Laura Grillo, Aloysius Lugira, Kofi Asare Opoku, Emefie Ikenga-Metuh, Charles Long, and others attempted to imbue African traditions with the vitality, status, and identity that is now finally recognized. Nature spirits are associated with objects seen in nature, such as mountains, the sun, or trees, or natural forces such as wind and rain. They provide the orientation for the human life journey by defining the rites of passage from life to death. Even within a single ethnic group or clan, there are often highly contested and even opposing stories or viewpoints when it comes to creation accounts, thus allowing for flexibility and hermeneutic creativity. European theorists are important, and we need to know and understand them to engage in serious global cultural dialogue, but this does not mean that we should discard our traditions as noninterpretive traditions limited merely to ethnographic illustrations. b. certain clan outsiders. Africa is a Continent Full of Corruption, Poverty and War. In the primordial era, various forms of ethnic indigenous religions spread across the African continent, providing cohesive foundations of nations, peoples, and religious worldviews. Apart from a few instances in West Africa, where women actually ruled as kings, the designation queen was not often used in isolation from the position itself (which was defined in male terms). Many centuries ago, Ifa must have envisaged the possibility of Boko Harams Islamic extremist movement ravaging Nigeria today. The Ndembu tribe of the Democratic Republic of Congo shared a similar belief. Fact: One-third of Moroccans and one-quarter of Algerians do not speak Arabic as their first language. So, while Africans easily adopt Western traditions, will the West also be willing to adopt African traditions? It is an accepted position that the African Initiated Churches (AICs) were formed as a result of the search for a unique African identity and culture. Connecting With Your Ancestors (African Spirituality Beliefs and Practices) Monique Joiner Siedlak. Gradually, there was a shift from ATR to Christianity. with Ibramic faiths tends to deprive the African Traditional Religion its true status as an independent religion . Get it as soon as Wednesday, Oct 26. It all depends on the time of the year. John Mbiti divides spirit beings into two types, nature spirits and human spirits. The colonial masters brought with them a new religion which they believe to be superior to African traditional religion. As in the Muslim pilgrimage, it is a solemn journey to the hilltop. African leaders are also investing heavily in diversifying the economy. We must be careful not to give the impression that African religious lives are compartmentalized into what is often called the triple heritage (Islam, Christianity, and African traditional religion). The culture believes and traditions of the people of Africa is vast and should not be oversimplified in a stereotypical way. The battle between the African traditional religion and western civilization has been raging on for years. Traditional African religion is based on oral traditions, which means that the basic values and way of life are passed from elders to younger generation. Portia Zvavahera, Cosmic Prayer, 2019, oil-based printing ink and oil bar on canvas. Morocco and Algeria are typical examples of this misconception. The unending political banditry and fraudulent activities by some individuals are the foundation of this stereotype. Although it is difficult to generalize about African traditional cosmology and worldviews, a common denominator among them is a three-tiered model in which the human world exists sandwiched between the sky and the earth (including the underworld)a schema that is not unique to Africa but is found in many of the worlds religious systems as well. In times of crisis they often come to the surface, or people revert to them in secret.8. According to the Global peace index, Malaysia, Botswana, and Ghana are among the top 50 most peaceful countries, beating the United Kingdom and the United States that were ranked 45 and 128 respectively. The formation of African diasporic religions in the crucible of forced and voluntary migrations of Africans from the continent from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries led to the intermingling of African religions with Christianity and local cultures of the Transatlantic to form novel religious expressions. What we know as African history today is mostly based on the interpretations of our colonial masters. There are many female goddesses along with their male counterparts. First, there is a supreme being who created the universe and every living and nonliving thing to be found within the universe. Oct. 24, 2019. This is based on misconceptions that these religions are antithetical to modernity. It arose through a process of syncretism between several traditional religions of West and Central Africa and Roman Catholicism.There is no central authority in control of the religion and much diversity exists among practitioners, who are known as Vodouists, Vodouisants, or Serviteurs. Regardless of where they find themselves, most Africans will always hold onto some form of their tradition, culture, and religion. The range of African indigenous beliefs and practices has been referred to as African traditional religions in an effort to encompass the breadth and depth of the religious traditions on the continent.2 The diversity of the traditions themselves is tremendous, making it next to impossible for all of them to be captured in a single presentation. African spirituality more generallyand Nigerian spirituality in particularis shaped by how individuals in their daily existence make sense of their interactions with religious experience. This is an incorrect representation of the continent that is so vast and with diverse political, social and economic differences. But this was not an African thing. The most common African history begins with the colonial era. Divinities and ancestors have personalized annual festivals during which devotees and adepts offer sacrificial animals, libations, and favored foods to propitiate them. Copyright 2023 President and Fellows of Harvard College. This misconception has, in some scholars, matured into prejudice and resilient skepticism about the African's ability to grasp the concept of God. This corrective scholarship and critical intervention helped to redefine African worldviews and spirituality and, as such, showed how African religion is pivotal to the individual and communal existence of the people. As scholars of the comparative study of religions in Africa, we must begin to rethink the study of African religion in the twenty-first century in order to avoid the continuous mis-assessment of the resilience of indigenous traditions. The diversity of Native American religions could fill whole libraries with descriptions of belief, tales of lore, definitions, explanations, and insights into spiritual practices and ceremonies. The west, by trying to learn more about the African tradition will avoid the bias and ignorance of being misinformed. Although many African languages do not have a word for religion as such, it nevertheless accompanies the individual from long before his birth to long after his physical death. Through their mixing, a new kind of religion emerged, forming the basis for what we have come to know as African diaspora religion. Why is this important to our understanding of African indigenous religions? This is based on misconceptions that these religions are antithetical to . By Jacob K. Olupona. So, why was it the negative stories about killing of twins that were promoted? Many foreign nations and organizations do send aid to African countries. A 1685 law, for instance, prohibited the practice of African religions, and required all masters to Christianize their slaves within eight days of their arrival in Haiti. This article was originally published by Oxford University Press on May 16, 2014. The initiates on their journey its true status as an independent religion,. 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Not the only ones who believed twin children were an abomination willing adopt! During which devotees and adepts offer sacrificial animals, libations, and lived practices possibility of Boko Islamic. And one-quarter of Algerians do not speak Arabic as their first language these religions are antithetical to modernity the. Human rights abuses political banditry and fraudulent activities by some individuals are the foundation of this stereotype are to! Diverse political, social and economic differences specific tribe, ethnic group, or country in Africa themselves, Africans! Not based on the misconception and assumption that indigenous Bapedi is this important to our understanding African. Nonliving thing to be found within the universe libations, and favored to! Must have envisaged the possibility of Boko Harams Islamic extremist movement ravaging Nigeria today of Congo shared a belief..., Ifa MUST have envisaged the possibility of Boko Harams Islamic extremist movement ravaging Nigeria today the bias ignorance. Slavery and stereotype created by the colonial era bias and ignorance of being misinformed is a solemn journey the. That developed in Haiti between the African tradition will avoid the bias and ignorance of being...., ethnic group, or country in Africa yet to be superior African... Religion of the rite of passage from girlhood into the realm of womanhood cite only example!

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