Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. GAZETTE: What else would we lose if we lost traditional African Religions? Author of. Instead, God brought them, for the God described in the Bible is none other than the God who was already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. These were not empty names. 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. religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . degree at Harvard Divinity School. 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. This rapid spreading of the Christian faith where people have been predominantly followers of African religion provokes interesting questions. This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. 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. At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. 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 . But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. Aujourd'hui, la plupart des Zariens sont soit catholiques, soit protestants; les Biras pour leur part sont principalement catholiques. Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners, and prophets. Indigenous African religions are by nature plural, varied, and usually informed by ones ethnic identity, where ones family came from in Africa. He later earned both an M.A. One read Honest to God and a variety of other works in an effort to understand the hot debate then raging in Europe and America. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. My findings were used in teaching, but eventually I put them together in a book, Concepts of God in Africa, published by the British publisher SPCK (1970). In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. Syncretistic movements in the Orient, such as Manichaeism (a dualistic religion founded by the 3rd-century-ce Iranian prophet Mani, who combined elements of Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism) and Sikhism (a religion founded by the 15th16th-century Indian reformer Guru Nnak, who combined elements of Islam and Hinduism), also met with resistance from the prevailing religions of their respective areas. In 1988 the society changed its name to the Canadian Anthropology Society to clarify its identity and emphasize its role as an anthropology association. Its about getting tangible results. GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. 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. xref There are other areas of exploration in which I continue to be engaged. In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief. A prominent European New Testament professor visited Makerere University and interviewed me on what I thought about the "death of God" discussion. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. X0#J++?U;_3_gmx9[F\"{,Um1yu 9
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&U0EHC$p4=$'=DlX6M_7,--" First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. {PB,`s Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. This is not a biblical distinction. They were names of one and the same God, the creator of the world, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Below is the article summary. The idea is that the traditional African practitioner who constructed that amulet believes in the efficacy of other faiths and religions; there is no conflict in his mind between his traditional African spirituality and another faith. 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. 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. We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. This approach is intended to shed further light on the problem of African cultural influence and . 9_r'v>#z2"syiBm?mry8%;m8v
L,WNHitMJk#RZwEl+M3N1n[nt4]C$i2y]_6Iasrt GAZETTE: Are ancestors considered deities in the traditional African cosmology? Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. In the other case no such written record exists. Since I myself had never heard any lectures on African religion, I set out to do research on the subject in order to teach the course adequately. That book was followed by a flurry of literature on the so-called "death of God" theology (if "theology" it was, for I would call it "atheology"). For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions 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. In the cities, local hierarchies of priestesses or priests (manbo and oungan), children of the spirits (ounsi), and ritual drummers (ountgi) comprise more formal societies or congregations (sosyete). I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. That testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. With it, one began to explore afresh the realm of Gods revelation and other treasures of our faith. Awolawu and Depamu (1979) Of course, behind all these factors is the Holy Spirit working through them. 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. There is some regional difference in ritual practice across Haiti, and branches of the religion include Rada, Daome, Ibo, Nago, Dereal, Manding, Petwo, and Kongo. There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. It was during the Belgian colonial period that the first Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to this region of Zaire. 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. These statements await further exploration by African theologians. That finished the interview. 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. I find the traditional Western distinction between "special revelation" and "general revelation" to be inadequate and unfreeing. The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). OLUPONA: One of the basic reasons is that indigenous African spiritual beliefs are not bound by a written text, like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The word Vodou means spirit or deity in the Fon language of the African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. Religious pluralism serves peace. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. What factors are responsible for it? stream It sensitized my thinking in many areas, one of these being the quest for Christian unity. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). GAZETTE: How would you define indigenous African religions? Updates? 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. Islam And Christianity Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. After that date there will be more Christians in the south than in the north. Omissions? Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY They include the work of missionaries (of whom there are about 40,000 today, without counting their family members); the work of African Christians in evangelism and pastoral care (their numbers are infinitely greater than those of overseas missionaries, and include men, women and children, both lay and ordained); the role of Christian schools; the translation and distribution of the Bible (which is now available in full or in part in nearly 600 of Africas 1,000 languages); and the ending of the colonial era during the decades 1960-1980. 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). 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. 0000014207 00000 n
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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Indeed, ten years ago I had no significant theological position. The God described in the Bible is none other than the God who is already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. But after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. Its consequences for theological and ecclesiological developments are yet to be faced. Liberia is the only country where more than one-in-ten (12%) identify primarily with an African traditional religion. In respect and honor of my culture, I also dress in my traditional Nigerian attire when Im in my country. Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. 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 startxref 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]. Omissions? Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. 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. 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. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. God was not a stranger to African peoples. I want to make a pilgrimage into Christ. 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. interaction between the Christian churches and West African religious culture. In one case the thinking and experience of the people produced a written record of Gods dealings with the Jewish people in particular. All these spirits are believed to live in a mythic land called Ginen, a cosmic Africa. The God of the Christian Bible is understood to be the creator of both the universe and the spirits; the spirits were made by God to help him govern humanity and the natural world. African development. Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. In its place there emerged the word "also." Because of this, Africa is now home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim communities. 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. But today that is not the case due to more exclusive-minded types of Christianity and Islam that see patronizing indigenous African beliefs and practices as violating the integrity of their Christian or Muslim principles, but I believe that one can maintain ones religious integrity and also embrace an African worldview. 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. (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). The rural Bira of northeastern Zaire have been exposed to the Christian message for well over half a century. 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. 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. I feel deeply the value of biblical studies in this exercise, and the contribution of biblical insights in this development. Humans are spirits who inhabit the visible world. v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. Anthropologica is published for CASCA by University of Toronto Press. The editor of The Christian Century has given me an undeserved privilege in asking me to contribute some reflections on "How My Mind Has Changed" in the course of the past decade. 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. For instance, if we were to lose indigenous African religions in Africa, then diviners would disappear, and if diviners disappeared, we would not only lose an important spiritual specialist for many Africans, but also an institution that for centuries has been the repository of African history, wisdom, and knowledge. 75 19 In most of the 19 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, 90% or more of the respondents say they belong to one of these faiths. Their history has a theological meaning. 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. I want to reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. Africans consequently played a crucial role in establishing the doctrines and theology of the early church. OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. 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. 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. I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. One of Jacob Oluponas earliest memories in Massachusetts is of nearly freezing in his apartment as a graduate student at Boston University during the great snowstorm of 1978. trailer According to all the major surveys, Christianity and Islam each represent approximately 40 percent of the African population. %PDF-1.7
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I have concentrated these comments on the role of African background in my theological reflection. Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible?