Indeed, ten years ago I had no significant theological position. The word Vodou means spirit or deity in the Fon language of the African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). <> At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). So the church which exists on the African scene bears the marks of its peoples backgrounds. But after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. But in practical terms, there is a Christian Yes to African religiosity. 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 . 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. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. 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. But Gods dealings with the African people are recorded, nevertheless, in living form -- oral communication, rituals, symbols, ceremonies, community faith. 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 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. 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. 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. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. Orthodox Christianity, although influenced by other religions, generally looked negatively upon these syncretistic movements. These were not empty names. This is, obviously, a general statement, one which needs detailed elaboration. (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. Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. Instances of religious syncretismas, for example, Gnosticism (a religious dualistic system that incorporated elements from the Oriental mystery religions), Judaism, Christianity, and Greek religious philosophical conceptswere particularly prevalent during the Hellenistic period (c. 300 bcec. There are also secret societies, called Bizango or Sanpwl, that perform a religio-juridical function. This was an extremely liberating word in my theological thinking. He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. 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. I wont pray to an orisa, but I will affirm the importance of my connection with members of my age group. 0000008365 00000 n
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. Take em with a grain of salt. Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. 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. It includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. Foreign religions simply dont have that same connection to the African continent. With it, one began to explore afresh the realm of Gods revelation and other treasures of our faith. Ethiopia's Christian population, at 6 million in 1900, will grow to a projected 100 million in 2050. 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. According to all the major surveys, Christianity and Islam each represent approximately 40 percent of the African population. God was not a stranger to African peoples. 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. 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. This rapid spreading of the Christian faith where people have been predominantly followers of African religion provokes interesting questions. 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. mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. startxref 817-820. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. 75 0 obj He later earned both an M.A. The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." 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 Pew Forums survey found 52% of the population is Muslim. 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. 9_r'v>#z2"syiBm?mry8%;m8v
L,WNHitMJk#RZwEl+M3N1n[nt4]C$i2y]_6Iasrt 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 . 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. 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. Updates? I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. 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. 0000001519 00000 n
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. Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). They do this by having Africans increasingly identify themselves as either Muslim or Christian, thus denying their unique African worldview that has always viewed as evidenced in their creation myths everything as unified and connected to the land, the place were ones clan, lineage, and people were cosmically birthed. After that date there will be more Christians in the south than in the north. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In the end, I believe that Africans can make room for a plurality of religious points of view without one religious point of view excluding or compromising the other. For example, an African amulet might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible. Ifa is an indispensable treasure trove of knowledge that cant be duplicated elsewhere; much of its knowledge has been handed down from babalawo [Ifa priest/diviner] to babalawo for centuries. If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. stream It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. I am not a historian, and I have not done careful thinking in this direction. On returning home, the learned professor wrote an article using my brief answer as his title. Vodou is an oral tradition practiced by extended families that inherit familial spirits, along with the necessary devotional practices, from their elders. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God. OLUPONA: No, this type of binary thinking is simplistic. I want to reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. 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. What is African Traditional Religion? Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. There are also other parallels in social, political and cultural areas, just as there are some significant differences. Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. For this reason, some African theologians take African religiosity to be one of the sources of theological reflection (besides the Bible, Christian heritage, etc.). This statistical tilting of Christendom from the north to the south, after 2,000 years, holds tremendous prospects and challenges. settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas trailer And in Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia, the survey finds that 5% or less identify as Muslim. 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. 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. In particular, the concepts about God provide one area of great commonality. In Nigeria, the population in 1900 included 4.2 million Muslims and 180,000 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. They are not mutually exclusive. 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. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. "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. While Islam and Christianity tend to . In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief. Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. My doctoral studies in New Testament eschatology led me also to the field of Christology.
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