misconceptions about african traditional religion 21 Nov misconceptions about african traditional religion

One of the most ridiculous myths about it is that homosexuality did not exist in the continent until white men imported it. John Mbiti, chap. It is also the most diversified continent in the world. 5.3.2 Intolerance and misconceptions about African traditional religion and Culture As already alluded, the stories told in Europe about Africa, the notion of racial and cultural superiority, and the notion of salvation, led to the western missionaries having a negative attitude toward African traditional religion and culture. Prior to colonization, there was scarcely any form of writing in the majority of African tribes and cultures. Robert Mugabe . 8. That is the ultimate and absolute being who originated and gives meaning to all existence.9 III. It is misleading to say "Africa" when speaking about a specific tribe, ethnic group, or country in Africa. Ritual practices are central to the performance of African religion. The expression is also used almost as a technical term for a particular reading of such beliefs and practices, one that purports . Examples are mobile innovations such as Flutterwave, Sproxil, and Paystack. Even in areas of Zimbabwe with easy access to Western-type delivery care, the majority of women are cared for and delivered by traditional birth attendants who are members of their extended family. Perhaps its the abundant wildlife, scorching deserts, or the vast uninhabited plainlands. Perhaps, it was a deliberate attempt to make Africans feel inferior about themselves. Myth: Slavery is a product of Western civilization. Such an approach should endeavor to provide not only an awareness of sociocultural contexts but also to narrate the historical dimensions of these traditions. religions are considered: African Traditional Religions (ATRs) especially that which is found in sub-Saharan Africa, and Christianity, sometimes referred to under the umbrella of faith-based communities. Women are revered in African traditions as essential to the cosmic balance of the world. And why should our work in critical theory not begin from indigenous hermeneutics before we invoke Martin Heidegger, Michel Foucault, or Jrgen Habermas as platforms for interpreting our own worldview and society? An Ifa song warns those embarking on the pilgrimage to be pure and those who possess witchcraft not to embark on the pilgrimage. On the other hand, countries like South Africa, Morocco, and Tunisia sometimes experience snowfalls. One of the more fascinating conversations that has emerged in the debate about African indigenous traditions is about the central role of women as bearers and transmitters of the traditions, and also the negotiation of gender dynamics. Oct. 24, 2019. In whatever way it happens, African cosmological narratives are similarly complex, unsystematized, and multivariate, and they are the bedrock for indigenous value systems. 9. These elements are worth exploring and espousing. In the Americas and the Caribbean, it is thought to be a combination of various African, Catholic and Native American traditions. This is an incorrect representation of the continent that is so vast and with diverse political, social and economic differences. Another misbelief about Africa is that all Africans are the same. They are less concerned with doctrines and much more so with rituals, ceremonies, and lived practices. John Mbiti, a prominent Christian theologian from Kenya who helped debunk entrenched ideas that traditional African religions were primitive, giving them equal weight with major . Whether it is being wrongly labelled voodoo, juju or witchcraft, indigenous African faith systems tend to be associated with darkness, animal and human sacrifices, violence and general backwardness. There are quite a number of revival groups and movements whose main aim is to ensure that the tenants and practice of African indigenous religion that are threatened survive. What we know as African history today is mostly based on the interpretations of our colonial masters. Traditional African religions are not stagnant but highly dynamic and constantly reacting to various shifting influences such as old age, modernity, and technological advances. They are less concerned with doctrines and much more so with rituals . As spirits, the ancestors are more powerful than living humans, and they continue to play a role in community affairs after their deaths, acting as intermediaries between God and those still living.6 Finally, I would add that Africans live their faith rather than compartmentalize it into something to be practiced on certain days or in particular places. Although the slaves accepted Roman Catholicism, they did not give up their traditional beliefs either. Indigenous African religions are not based on conversion like Islam and Christianity. Africa is the target of western stereotypes. These narratives come to us in the form of myths. Unlike its popular usage, in scholarly language myths are sacred stories believed to be true by those who hold on to them. 3. 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. Africa is host to the highest number of religious countries in the world, according to a recent Gallop poll. In one particular odu of Ifa, Ifa informs us and, correctly so, that the most cardinal event of the hajj is the climbing of Mount Arafat (Oke Arafa). These one-sided stories or reports are among the major roots of stereotypes and myths about Africa. Religious contexts are shaped and determined by the identity of these religions. It argues that the best interpretation of the Constitution requires laws that address cross-cutting issues of recognition and redistribution relating to religion/culture and gender, and that the best . Thus, many practitioners of African religion, particularly in the shrines of goddesses, are women, indicating the parity with which African religion treats gender and gender-related issues. .title-desc-wrapper .view-post {display: none !important} Religion also encompasses the human, cultural dimensions within faith traditions, such as how human agency shapes, influences, and complicates religious control. 9 years ago. Hence the misguided notion that Africans are corrupt. In many African communities, ____________ are qualified to navigate the delicate moral and social balance between the good and evil forces exerted on the human realm. .pagination {display: none !important} By civil religion, I have in mind not only institutional religion and the beliefs and practices as they relate to the sacred and transcendent, but also practices not always defined as religious, including the rites of passage offered by our various youth brigades, and also the values of communalism and national sacrifice. He clarifies that there is a close relationship between all things with one reality, and no distinction between physical and spiritual, adding that meaning in life is derived from unity. As many might know, one type of ritualinitiations for adolescent African girlscauses great consternation among Westerners, because these often involve rites like female circumcision or other bodied practices. Africans who follow a traditional religion rely on no scriptures, canonical texts, or holy books to guide them. No. Women play a key role in the practice of these traditions, and the internal gender relations and dynamics are very profound. Ceremonies of naming, rites of passage, death, and other calendrical rites embody, enact, and reinforce the sacred values communicated in myths. This creates fear and panic resulting in misleading assumptions about Africa. Yes, poverty is an issue in Africa. That is why we have freewill, and regardless of whether we choose to acknowledge that a living God exists or not, and regardless of how we choose to worship Him, directly or through deities, we will all be eventually accountable. The culture believes and traditions of the people of Africa is vast and should not be oversimplified in a stereotypical way. Here are some 10 myths about Africa and Africans that are either an exaggeration of the fact or based on misguided information. When it comes to cryptocurrencies, African countries are leading as well. But this was not an African thing. It was through this encounter that the Yoruba system of banking money in traditional pots kept underground in farms and forests began. 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138. Ifa defines Yoruba humanity, providing responses to critical issues of its communities. . those misconceptions and misrepresentations of the facts presented by Eurocentric scholars. The culture believes and traditions of the people of Africa is vast and should not be oversimplified in a stereotypical way. Courtesy of Stevenson, Amsterdam/Cape Town/Johannesburg. Regardless of where they find themselves, most Africans will always hold onto some form of their tradition, culture, and religion. What is fascinating about this odu (Ifa text) is that it supports a key and cardinal principle of Ifa traditionthat we seek counsel first, before we perform divination (Imoram la nda ki a to da Ifa). African countries are also top the list of the 2021 WHO health care index. The more modern incarnation of this ancient African religionVoodooemerged as a unique blend of Catholic and African magical and religious rites. Similarly, although ancestors dwell inside the earth, their activities also interject into human life, which is why they are referred to as the living dead.13 African cosmologies, therefore, portray the universe as a fluid, active, and impressionable space, with agents from each realm bearing the capabilities of traveling from one realm to another at will. Copyright 2023 President and Fellows of Harvard College. In certain contexts and communities we have many documented instances of the central role of goddesses as founders of traditions, builders of kingdoms, and saviors and defenders of cities and civilizationsfor example, Moremi in Yorubaland, Nzinga in Angola, and Osun in West Africa. Unlike other world religions that have written scriptures, oral sources form the core of indigenous African religions. 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. With the negative image of the, A lot of people seize the chance of the holiday season to organize their weddings. African Traditional Religion and medicine are integral parts of life and culture of the Africans and have greatly influenced their conceptions about human health and wholeness. To understand Africans, one must understand the African religion. In most African cultures, history and beliefs have been explained and passed on through oral traditions and storytelling. Many foreigners who come to Africa become fascinated by ancestral spirits and spirits in general, as if the mystique of African religions is the only aspect of African spirituality that can hold scholarly interest.4 There are several common features of African indigenous religions that suggest similar origins and allow African religions to be treated as a single religious tradition, just as Christianity and Islam are. 53 offers from $9.56. Myth 3: Africa Is Lacking Innovation. The idea that Africa is unsafe while statistics say otherwise shows how much misconception there is about Africa. A porous border exists between the human realm and the sky, which belongs to the gods. For African-American parents, transmitting an awareness of cultural values and norms . Religions of the African diaspora are of particular note and importance to the comparative study of African religions because of their resilience and the characteristic formations leading to their performance and expression. In response to this verse, Ifa defines its own pilgrimage tradition in the rituals of the climbing of Oke Itase (Ifa Hill), the home of Ifa, when the Araba of Ifa in quiet solitude leads the devotee to the top of the sacred temple of Ifa. Africa is a continent that is made up of 54 countries, 1.3 billion inhabitants, more than 3000 ethnic groups, and 2100 unique languages. Information was passed down mostly by oral communication in the form of folk tales. So, while Africans easily adopt Western traditions, will the West also be willing to adopt African traditions? Colonization may seem to be over but for African traditional religion, it is not. The area of study is Buganda in Uganda. Another generalization about Africa is that they are all corrupt. 11. These 11 Traditional African Clothing Will Help You Identify Ethnic Groups At A Glance, 10 Facts And Myths About African Traditional Religion - African Vibes, 10 Prominent Ways Africans Showcase Their Culture, 10 Traditional African Dances That Showcase Africa’s Rich Culture, more than 3000 ethnic groups, and 2100 unique languages, the most diversified continent in the world, 30 % of the earths remaining mineral resources, Thinking Of Volunteering? If you take these reports at face value, you may start to believe that all Africans are poor. Religions such as Candombl, Vodun, Santeria, and the Caribbean and Orisa tradition historically came about from African transactions with the new world and the old Euro-Christian worldview. 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. Please confirm you want to block this member. This was amazingly written. Long before the arrival of Christianity and Islam, Africans practiced African traditional religion (ATR). Lets take the killing of twins as a case study. Truly opening my eyes on traditions, cultures and rituals that I did not know existed. Perhaps this is linked to the idea that Africa has an inadequate or substandard health care system. Du Bois argued . In African traditional religions guidance is provided through myths, which are handed down orally. However, this was never a generally accepted idea. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Catholic moral theologian Laurenti Magesa argues that, unlike clothes, which one can wear and take off, for Africans, religion is like skin that cannot be so easily abandoned.7 Mbiti also captures this unique aspect in the following passage: Because traditional religions permeate all the departments of life, there is no formal distinction between the sacred and the secular, between the religious and non-religious, between the spiritual and the material areas of life. One of my favorite Ifa narratives acknowledges to Yoruba Muslims that climbing Mount Arafat was the most significant act of the hajj. While some countries are hot most of the year, other countries experience different types of weather. Most are watered-down versions of what was truly a thriving civilization. Mudimbe's . 2. The stoning of the devil in the Kaba in Mecca was a disguise for rejecting the local Esu, the Yoruba god of fate and messenger of the gods. During the era of Western religious and cultural encounters in Yorubaland, some children were named Oguntoyibo, signifying Ogun (god of war and iron) is as powerful as the European god. Some children received names such as Ifatoyinbo, Ifa is as powerful as the white mans god. Such names and concepts illustrate the force and creative resistance of indigenous thought and its ability to engage Western modernity in rigorous debate. This inaccurate assessment of African belief even affects the definition of African religion. Also, about 30 % of the earths remaining mineral resources are in Africa. History text fails to capture the depth of pre-colonial African Civilization. As in the Muslim pilgrimage, it is a solemn journey to the hilltop. Priests, priestesses, and diviners are among the authorities who perform religious ceremonies, but the hierarchical structure is often very loose. However, western culture has blurred to an extent the lines between African tribes. Most importantly, the rite itself should not be condemned together with circumcision or female genital mutilation. expressed in all the African cultures, it means that religion forms parts of African culture but not all African cultural practices are religious. Esu was represented as a stone mound in the front yard of ancient Yoruba compounds. 12. Responding to this erasure of African indigenous religion as a productive and generative practice, scholars rallied in opposition. Published. 1. Please note: The orthodox Easternize it. Similarly, indigenous religion, worldviews, and rituals such as rites of passage and other religious performances are permeated by other religions, culture, and society in general. Understanding the contours of traditions as they are today consists of picturing both what they are and what they can be against the backdrop of what they once were. The Ndembu tribe of the Democratic Republic of Congo shared a similar belief. This is a testament to the strong morals and principles of the African tradition. 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. Initially, Christian missionaries and propagators of Islam assumed that indigenous religion would eventually fizzle out, while Islam and Christianity would dominate the African religious scene. In this postcolonial period, it has come to be established that there is what we may call . African dance occupies central place in cultures throughout the African continent, embodying energy and a graceful beauty flowing with rhythm. Myth #2. This view wasnt held in many other tribes in Nigeria. Most of these aids go into building infrastructures like schools and hospitals. At the same time, forms of orature such as the Ifa tradition amongst the Yoruba, can form important sources for understanding the tenants and worldview of these religions that can serve as analogs to scriptures such as the Bible or the Quran. These countries are often very hot. 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. Later in my academic life, I explored theoretical issues at the national level, showing how Nigerian civil religionan invisible faithprovided a template for assessing how we fared at nation building, allowing the symbols of Nigerian nationhood to take on religious significance for the Nigerian public above and beyond any particular cultural communities of faith.17 I do not want to be misunderstood here. 4.8 out of 5 stars. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Africa is poor. Investors are moving to take advantage of the African market. African Religion is not Ancestor Worship. .entry-morefrom {display: none !important} Second, spirit beings occupy the next tier in the cosmology and constitute a pantheon of deities who often assist the supreme God in performing different functions. Given our current impending ecological crisis, indigenous African religions have a great deal to offer both African countries and the world at large. Jul 26, 2007 #1. Hence, the aforementioned rituals are the entry point not only for an understanding of African tradition and religions but also for the visible manifestations and essence of African religious traditions. Traditional African religions are less of faith traditions and more of lived traditions. African Vibes is a one-stop global platform that connects the African diaspora to opportunities for growth, development, and social impact in Africa. Some biblical cosmological narratives have parallels in African cosmogony, for example, when the Supreme Being summons the hosts of heaven and declares to them, Come let us make man in our own image. This same script appears in the creation of the Yoruba world, when Olodumare designates to the Orisa (deities), the job of creating the universe. A classic example is how the Ifa divination text of the Yoruba provides deep commentary on the practice of Islam by the Yoruba people, such as the hajj tradition. . Indigenous Bapedi music and oral tradition have been dismissed as myth, superstition and primitive stories. In the lived experiences of the people, there has been much borrowing and interchange, particularly in those places that have a history of peaceful coexistence among diverse religious traditions, as is so among the Yoruba. Even the word religion, used in reference to these traditions, is in itself problematic for many Africans, because it suggests that religion is separate from other aspects of ones culture, society, and environment. Theres a globally shared perspective of Africa being full of diseases. But Ifa divination predates Western modernity. The truth is that people in some African countries lack access to education and resources, but they make the most of what they have. Continue with Recommended Cookies. This is based on misconceptions that these religions are antithetical to . Temperature varies from one country to another depending on the climate type. Haitian Vodou is an African diasporic religion that developed in Haiti between the 16th and 19th centuries. As with myths the world over, African mythology includes multiple, often contradictory, versions of the same event. .p-summary {display: none !important} These are also stories about how the world was put into place by a divine power, usually a supreme god, but in collaboration with other lesser supernatural beings or deities, who act on his behalf or aid in the creative process.11 The mechanisms and techniques of creation vary from story to story and from one tradition to another.

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