According to Gottlieb and Mbiti: The environment and nature are infused in every aspect of traditional African religions and culture. The role of humanity is generally seen as one of harmonising nature with the supernatural. Ing. First, in the origin myths of several peoples, such as the Baganda of Uganda and the Edo of Nigeria, the first king or chief of the community was endowed with the sacred power of the Supreme Deity. B. Conteh is the Director of the Mechanical Services Department (MSD ) of the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA ). The deities and spirits are honored through libation or sacrifice (of animals, vegetables, cooked food, flowers, semi-precious stones and precious metals). Such separation and subsequent contemplation of the nature and sources of pure energy or feelings serves to help participants manage and accept them when they arise in mundane contexts. One religious ceremony practiced in Gabon and Cameroon is the Okuyi, practiced by several Bantu ethnic groups. “The fulcrum around which everything seems to revolve in Africa”, says some religious scholars of high repute,“ is religion ”. Africans from time immemorial are accustomed to communicating with the ancestors as if they were alive and physically present and could hear and decipher what was being communicated. Some religious and non-religious scholars alike have always highlighted that of all the races in the world that God created the African is said to be the most notoriously religious. It might not be impossible, nonetheless, but for now, we need to give it a rethink! For the Kikuyu, according to their primary supreme creator, Ngai, acting through the lesser deities, is believed to speak to and be capable of guiding the virtuous person as one’s conscience. This is not uncommon with particularly those of our kind who have been opportune to acquire some western-style education abroad. He had human characteristics, and although some say that he lives in the sky or in the clouds, they also say that he comes to earth from time to time to inspect it, bestow blessings and mete out punishment. Sawyerr, Harry. The Spiritual Life © 2020. Thus by invoking the spirits of the ancestors for some protection to be accorded, say, a relative in dire need of succor and well-being against the machinations and manipulations of evil forces, the living, by so doing, are not only treating the ancestors with decorum but also with a deep feeling of affection and reverence as well. Some castings are done using sacred divination plates made of wood or performed on the ground (often within a circle). Take for example the interconnecting link between the living and the dead. This is part of the beauty and magnificence of the extended family system. Who knows, God in His infinite wisdom, would have listened and responded to them all, but alas….!! In traditional African societies, many people seek out diviners on a regular basis. Followers of traditional African religions pray to various spirits as well as to their ancestors. It is quite significant to preserve our cultural heritage because it keeps our integrity as a people. He – for Ngai is male – cannot be seen, but is manifest in the sun, moon, stars, comets and meteors, thunder and lightning, rain, in rainbows and in the great fig trees (mugùmò) that served as places of worship and sacrifice, and which marked the spot at Mukurue wa Gathanga where Gikuyu and Mumbi – the ancestors of the Kikuyu in the oral legend – first settled. Several examples of such traditional and cultural beliefs and practices abound in Africa. With a long farming tradition, the Serer high priests and priestesses (Saltigue) deliver yearly sermons at the Xoy Ceremony (divination ceremony) in Fatick before Yoonir’s phase in order to predict winter months and enable farmers to start planting. This is largely because cosmology and beliefs are intricately intertwined with the natural phenomena and environment. Traditional African religions embrace natural phenomena – ebb and tide, waxing and waning moon, rain and drought – and the rhythmic pattern of agriculture. Although the majority of Africans are adherents of Christianity or Islam, African people often combine the practice of their traditional belief with the practice of Abrahamic religions. This reinforces the conviction that religious values in Africa are not to be toyed with. He then took the first man, Gikuyu, to the top to point out the beauty of the land he was giving him.In traditional African religions, such as the Azande religion, a person is said to have a good or bad conscience, depending on whether he does the bidding of God or malevolent spirits. Therefore, one... […] Sunni Muslims perform the following: […]. Within Africa itself expressions of culture are abundant such that large amounts of cultural diversity are found not only across different countries but also within single countries as well. There are generally no prohibitions against the practice. […] to Shia Muslims the Qur’anic mandate for wuḍūʾ comes in the... Manjonjo Healers of Chitungwiza of Zimbabwe. Traditional African beliefs and cultural practices cannot be fully discussed without the subject of religion being highlighted. Regarded as a menace rather than a blessing by many, the extended family system in Africa is not without its attendant woes. These secondary spirits serve as intermediaries between humans and the primary God, also referred to as the Supreme Deity. I am researching the burial practices of African Slaves in the Americas. African traditional religion possesses the concept of a Supreme Being who is considered omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent too. The practice of casting may be done with small objects, such as bones, cowrie shells, stones, strips of leather, or flat pieces of wood. Other religions found in Africa have their origins in other parts of the world.”. An Egungun masquerade dance garment in the permanent collection of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. In many traditional African religions, there is a belief in a cyclical nature of reality. Traditional healer of South Africa performing a divination by reading the bones. He is invincible as well. Escape from it would spell doom for many an African family into whose households can be found an appreciable proportion of totally destitute individuals who are forever seeking family succor and assistance for their existence and livelihood. Bio Commissions 70 Boats To Support 1,400 Youths In Seven Fishing Coastal Communities, FAO, MDAs Agree On Roadmap To Investment In Agriculture, FROM THE DESK OF THE AMBASSADOR AT LARGE FOR PEACE AND NATIONAL COHESION, HONOURABLE ALHAJI DR. ALPHA KANU, CRSL, As New Direction Continues To Deliver… PRA In Top Gear. Traditional healers are common in most areas, and their practices include a religious element to varying degrees. The extended family system readily springs to mind in a discussion confined to African cultural beliefs and traditions. […] This literature was highly treasured by many Jewish enthusiasts, in... […] Judea and the Therapeutae in Egypt, were said to have a “secret”... […] (طهارة‎, ṭaharah) is an essential aspect of Islam. And therefore it’s nearly impossible to talk about African Traditional Religion as if it exists as a single coherent body of beliefs and practices which can be identified as “African religion”. The ancestors strongly believe that they could hear, feel, taste and participate in everything being undertaken by the living once they are granted an invitation by them. Adherents of traditional religions in Sub-Saharan Africa are distributed among 43 countries and are estimated to number over 100 million. They have replaced indigenous African religions, but are often adapted to African cultural contexts and belief systems. Main article: List of African mythological figures. So normally we refer to African Traditional Religions in the plural, and it’s simply summarized or … In broader terms, culture, as it is normally understood, entails a totality of traits and characters that are peculiar to a people to the extent that it clearly distinguishes them from other peoples or societies. 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