With it, one began to explore afresh the realm of Gods revelation and other treasures of our faith. Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. It sensitized my thinking in many areas, one of these being the quest for Christian unity. {PB,`s Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. 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]. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> 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. 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. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. Modernity has not put a total stop to its influence. The original constitution defined the organization's mandate as providing a forum for the exchange of ideas among ethnologists. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. 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. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation | Pew Research Center (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. 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. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. The Encounter of Christian Faith and African Religion Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. in social anthropology from Oxford University, is studying for a master of theological studies (M.T.S.) Ethiopia's Christian population, at 6 million in 1900, will grow to a projected 100 million in 2050. I had it. 0000000676 00000 n /// Dans le nord-est du Zare, la communaut rurale Bira a t expose depuis plus de cinquante ans au message chrtien. OLUPONA: No, this type of binary thinking is simplistic. African scholars 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. It will keep me chewing for a long time, and it will most certainly feed my theological development. Because of this, Africa is now home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim communities. 75 19 According to all the major surveys, Christianity and Islam each represent approximately 40 percent of the African population. Corrections? In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. 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. 817-820. Indigenous religion in Africa is the way Africans understand and worship their god. I have received much in a short period. 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 trailer According to the 2003 Demographic and Health Survey, for example, Muslims constituted 50% of the population, while the 2008 DHS figure is 45% and the Nigerian Ministry of Healths 2008 estimate is 50%. Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa are the only countries surveyed where a significant number of people (roughly one-in-ten) describe their religion as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular. In all the other countries, the figure is closer to zero. What factors are responsible for it? The theological horizon continues to expand. Outline of the Curricular Framework: Anglicanization Atlantic slave trade "Atlantic World" Barbados (sugar) British-American system of slavery the Carolinas (rice) Caste system cereal crops Colonial resistance Dominion of New England Enlightenment Furs Great Awakening Indentured Servants Mercantilism Metis Models of colonization Molasses Act But whatever the shortcomings of these and my other publications, the materials that went into these two have raised extremely important issues for me that have continued to engage my reflection. x\u}4`P}E#(9q"%LCl'KLb)Sfgdq N 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. This is not an empty coincidence. Liberia is the only country where more than one-in-ten (12%) identify primarily with an African traditional religion. 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. How Africa Is Changing Faith Around the World African religion has equipped people to listen to the gospel, to discover meaningful passages in the Bible, and to avoid unhealthy religious conflict. 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. w?0t7/Oa84P]T}T}?gHq.qsRnkc;]X*s1!E"l^~K_/|j p z|9~p uf:}[Mc|4!#"Zg!/vc _~|oyuQ'dX :?NmU)?oPSw?6#?[OUN@6oz{j;\e7nWsV~XyU4vMm4#f4c:[Wefkd&88XB|cMh6)mt<4M8}; *:7??+0:0$! Subscriptions are available to libraries and individuals who are not members of CASCA. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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 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. At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. Abstract. It is here that I have discovered the church in Burma, in the Pacific islands, the house church in China, the basic Christian communities in Latin America, the struggling church in South Africa, plus countless other endeavors of Christians all over the world. xref (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax Nevertheless, I am convinced that the World Council of Churches is a great witness of the Christian response to the prayer of our Lord that we may all be one. Following a period of parish work in England, I went to teach at Makerere University, Uganda, where I remained for ten years until 1974. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer, By Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent. 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. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. There are other areas of exploration in which I continue to be engaged. 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. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). For example, sickness in the indigenous African worldview is not only an imbalance of the body, but also an imbalance in ones social life, which can be linked to a breakdown in ones kinship and family relations or even to ones relationship with ones ancestors. Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population 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. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? 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. Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. African diaspora religions - Wikipedia They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam . Omissions? The first African captives entered England's North American colonies through Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. 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. 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. APUSH Unit 1 Flashcards | Quizlet While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that Updates? And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. 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. 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. 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society 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. startxref Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). I wont pray to an orisa, but I will affirm the importance of my connection with members of my age group. mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. colonization_terms_apush.docx - ` Units 1 and 2 Vocabulary 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. Their culture, history, world views and spiritual aspirations cannot be taken away from them. This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock. 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. 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 A close geographical correlation exists between the location of African religion and the rapid expansion of the Christian faith. Awolawu and Depamu (1979) In three of the countries surveyed (Djibouti, Mali and Senegal), Muslims clearly outnumber Christians. African diaspora religions, also described as Afro-American religions, are a number of related beliefs that developed in the Americas in various nations of the Caribbean, Latin America and the Southern United States. 93 0 obj The church is composed largely of people who come out of the African religious background. Anthropologica The suppression of ancestor worship is the only area where mission Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. Humans are spirits who inhabit the visible world. 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. Their history has a theological meaning. 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. The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. I am tantalized by the fact that my vision cannot cope with that horizon. Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. 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). That which had been seen as the enemy of the gospel turns out (to me) to be indeed a very welcoming friend. 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 . While Islam and Christianity tend to . 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 want to see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. interaction between the Christian churches and West African religious culture. GAZETTE: How would you define indigenous African religions? The unseen world is populated by lwa (spirits), myst (mysteries), anvizib (the invisibles), zanj (angels), and the spirits of ancestors and the recently deceased. (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. The Yoruba, however, do have a concept of a supreme being, called Olorun or Olodumare, and this creator god of the universe is empowered by the various orisa [deities] to create the earth and carry out all its related functions, including receiving the prayers and supplications of the Yoruba people. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. 0000001586 00000 n 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. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. He went on to conduct some of the most significant research on African religions in decades. (PDF) Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish people. But Gods dealings with the African people are recorded, nevertheless, in living form -- oral communication, rituals, symbols, ceremonies, community faith. The WCCs very existence as a council of churches is a living hope. They constitute an important channel of the churchs prophetic witness today. There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. 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 . This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. % A belief in ancestors also testifies to the inclusive nature of traditional African spirituality by positing that deceased progenitors still play a role in the lives of their living descendants. Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax 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. The fusion of cultures that was effected by the conquest of Alexander the Great (4th century bce ), his successors, and the Roman Empire tended to bring together a variety of religious and philosophical views that resulted in a strong tendency toward religious syncretism. African Traditional Religion in the Context of increasing Christian and Islamic Encounter . Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. 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. In this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. 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. It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. "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. Religious pluralism serves peace | D+C - Development + Cooperation Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. This approach is intended to shed further light on the problem of African cultural influence and . Today most Zairians belong to either the Catholic or Protestant church, and the Bira themselves are predominantly Catholic. Spiritual activities like prayer, thanksgiving, and the making of sacrifices were well-established facts of life for the existence and continuation of the community. After that date there will be more Christians in the south than in the north. I want to walk with Jesus of Nazareth on the shores of Lake Galilee and the hillsides of Judea, through the gates of Jerusalem. Religious beliefs among Black Americans | Pew Research Center 0000005005 00000 n I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge in 1963, the year that Honest to God, by J.A.T. I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. PDF Traditional African Religion and Modern Christianity in Zaire - JSTOR 0000014207 00000 n ), 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. First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. And this witness deserves ones support through service and prayer. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. 43. 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? For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. He later earned both an M.A. This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition . 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. African development. 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. GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. (See the glossary for more information on juju. This is not a biblical distinction. But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. The book comprised ideas that I had gathered from 300 African peoples ("tribes" -- a term that today is sometimes used in derogatory ways). 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. Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. OLUPONA: One of the basic reasons is that indigenous African spiritual beliefs are not bound by a written text, like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Par consquent, Mbali-Dieu est la rponse crative des Biras une rencontre religieuse syncrtique. Africans consequently played a crucial role in establishing the doctrines and theology of the early church. The fusion of cultures that was effected by the conquest of Alexander the Great (4th century bce), his successors, and the Roman Empire tended to bring together a variety of religious and philosophical views that resulted in a strong tendency toward religious syncretism.