African Religions
Chapter 3
The Complexities of Africa
900 million people
3,000 Ethnic and Linguistic Groups
Social organizations range from small
tribes to vast empires
Centuries of European colonialism
changed the content and structure of
many traditional African religions
Western Stereotypes
Stereotypes threaten
to distort the reality of
African religion
Misconception of a
dark land of
savagery and
superstition
Misguided thought
of Africa is a unified
whole
Keep in mind
There is no single religion, theology,
worldview, or ritual system that unites all
of Africa
There is a lack of written records from the
pre-modern Native Africans which limits
our range and depth of studies
We must remember the bias and
interpretations of foreign cultures in Africa
Native Religions
Most African religions
have a belief in a high
god.
This high god is
distant, retired, and
uninvolved.
The Lesser Spirits
Most African religions
are animistic,
believing that the
world is full of lesser
spirits.
Lesser spirits rule
creation and can be
helpful or harmful.
Lesser spirits are
subject to prayer,
flattery, and sacrifice.
More on the lesser spirits
Plants, animals,
weather, water, the
Earth – all things are
spirits or life forces
Lesser spirits are
often personified in
Gods or Goddesses
The most common
worship is offering
food and drink.
Ancestors
Ancestors are recognized as spiritual
forces.
The dead enter into a spirit world and
remain active in the lives of the living.
The dead as a “cloud of witnesses” (page
55)
More on Ancestors
The living consult, pray to the dead to
receive benefits and avoid harm
The fear of gods is unimportant compared
to the fear of and respect for ancestors
Ancestors enforce the moral code
Worst punishment by ancestors is
infertility on a couple
Ancestor spirits know and can control the
future
More on Ancestors
Efforts to appease the
ancestor spirits
includes offering gifts,
sacrifices, rituals, and
consultations.
Ancestors contact the
living often in dreams
Diviners have the
ability to contact
ancestors
Sacrifice
Most common is a
daily offering of food
and drink
Animal sacrifice is
practiced on serious
occasions
Human sacrifice is
rarely present in
African religions
Rites of Passage
Birth of child –
Blessing
bestowed by the
spirit world
Puberty: Initiation into the norms of
social behavior
Initiation rituals for boys
and girls differ and are
often long and severe
Ritual circumcision for
boys: test of courage and
a bodily sign of their
religious and cultural
identity
Ritual circumcision for
girls: no clear rationale
and is less and less
common in modern Africa
Yao Tribe
To most African
communities, facing
the knife is akin to
being a “real man”.
Male circumcision is
an important rite of
passage that moves
the young man that
undergoes it a notch
higher towards
marriage and earns
him a respectable
position in society.
Marriage
Chastity in marriage is
highly valued
Polygamy is practiced
by elites of many
societies
Death
Making the dead comfortable in their new
existence to prevent hauntings
Rapid burial
Dead can point out who caused their
demise
Lack a system of belief in judgment and
retribution after death
A Death Ritual
During an African burial, an
animal would often be
sacrificed. They believed that
it was a respectful thing to do
and that it served as food on
their long journey to the
heavens. Most of the time
they would give sacrifice an
ox, if the person was the last
living in their family the ox
would help take them to the
afterlife. Africans were also
buried with their personal
possessions. Africans could
only refer to some one as
dead if they were the last one
in their family to die.
Religious Leaders
Generally a minimal need for priests
because rituals are performed by
individuals
Some Western African religions have
priests & priestesses for maintaining
temples and altars
Spiritual Curers are Common
Illnesses have religious and natural causes
Curers use divination to find the cause
Curers combine herbs, offerings, and
spiritual powers
Curers cleanse houses of spells, witches,
and curses
Diviners, healers, exorcists are closely
related
Prophets
Speak the words of gods in times of crisis
The Chief King
Most African societies
lack monarchy
Societies with
monarchies revere the
king and queen as
representatives on
ancestors or gods
Non-native African Religions
Ancient Greeks religion influenced North
Africa and Egypt
Christianity and Judaism have been
present in Africa since the 1st century
Hinduism, Buddhism, and Baha’i brought
to Africa by immigrants
African Religions Today
Colonialism, artificial nation states,
urbanization, HIV/AIDS, political
instability,and rapid population growth
upset the traditional social orders of
traditional religion
Traditional African religious practices have
diminished, but have not been eliminated
Rise of Christianity & Islam challenges
traditional African religions
Lesser spirits and ancestors become
Christian Saints or
Muslim Jinn
Syncretistitc movements
combining African Christian,
and/or Islamic beliefs
and rituals are increasingly
present