Traditional African Religion Before one starts to outline the traditional religion in Africa, one must first explain the way Africa is as a whole. Without the knowledge of the past combined with knowledge of culture, one would have a very vague, if any, understanding of traditional religion. Out of all of the continents, Africa is the most central. It is told that the first man was found in Africa, so with this, many feel that Africa is the birthplace of human culture. Within this continent,
because it has so many integrated religions. The five major religions are Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, and, largest of all, Christianity. Christianity makes up more than 80% of the religious population. Of those, most are protestant, a form of the Western Christian Church separate from the Roman Catholic Church. The main difference between the two is their concepts of God and the way the practice/worship. Some of these churches have Branched off into African Independent Churches. They have
What is religion? According to (Muzorewa), “Religion is a set of beliefs in a higher being, God, or Gods or higher principle.” All religions come with characteristics such as a set of doctrines, rituals to celebrate certain occasions, sacred literature, and concern for life-after death. African Traditional Religion, or ATR for short, is the world’s oldest religion. African Traditional Religion originated on the continent of Africa because Africa was the only location for human beings to live comfortably
describing the African indigenous religion(s). The first perception is that the religions have common features, religious philosophy and thought forms. The latter identifies Africa’s numerous cultures, different ethnic nationalities, and varying practices. The indigenous people (the first inhabitants) of southern Africa can be categorised into two groups, the San hunter-gatherers and the traditional African farmers. Whereas historians tend to emphasize the changing nature of cultures and religions, the conceptualisation
In this paper I discuss the praise prayers excerpt of Afua Kuma, an African, within the view that beliefs emerge and are “enfolded within practices, things and feelings that shape individuals and communities over time” (Morgan 2012: xiv). Expounding on this statement, Idowu in his book about African Traditional Religion makes a point that a person knows as much he or she is exposed to and as much as is given to him to know, and he or she expresses his or her beliefs accordingly. These beliefs are
indigenous African religions. Africa is a mainland that has long been shrouded in a cover of misjudging and stigma. The general misguided judgments about Africans are boundless and strike almost every part of African society and social orders incorporating religion. Many of the religions do not write and document everything but rather add more importance to oral history and rituals. Colonization and philosophers like Emile Durkheim have consciously or subconsciously stripped these religions of their
the film “I told you so”, I uncover and bring to light some African ideas present in these practices, things and feelings in greater appreciation of African Philosophy. The Dipo ceremony is celebrated in the month of April by the people of Manya and Yilo Krobo in Odumase and Somanya, in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It is an initiation ceremony that marks the passage of girls into womanhood and during this event the African Traditional beliefs in Spirits and divinities become very apparent. Spirits
The Community of Enslaved Africans and their Religious & Spiritual Practices. During a most dark and dismal time in our nations history, we find that the Africans who endured horrible circumstances during slavery, found ways of peace and hope in their religious beliefs. During slavery, Africans where able to survive unbearable conditions by focusing on their spirituality. Christianity was amongst the slave community. Being that the vast majority of the slave community was born in America, converting
remains true to the Ancients that first trod upon the earth of Africa continuously strengthening the bond of the past to the implications of a united historical religion inseparable from the past and only past down via the oral histories, rituals, and festivals. Therefore, to study the history of Africa and her peoples one must study her religions because within the festivals and rituals is found the origins of people often misunderstood and exploited. As historians, anthropologists, and archeologists
Religions in Africa span far beyond the common confines accepted within the western barriers in terms of religion. While Western religion is often separated, overpowering, or distinct within its own borders, African religion may be versatile, as well as varying and abundant. Many different factors go into the religious practices of African people, and this specific location is well known for their diversity and deep dedication to their specific religious practices. There are also specific distinctions
Indigenous religion has been recorded throughout human history, starting from African religious through to Native Americans. {1.} Indigenous Religion have existed throughout human history. But scholars have regarded IR as “primitive”, conjuring images of savaging, superstition, childish simplicity, etc. (Baum, 2012, p.30). This indigenous religion has been recorded across the globe and is from Africa to Native Americas, to Asia, etc. Across the globe stories defer in regards to the worship of
Introduction African traditional religions were the first recorded religions to grace the plains and coasts of Southern Africa and possibly even the world. The earliest group of people living in Southern Africa has been named the San people. It was thought that San etchings and implements found in caves dated back to between 10 000 and 20 000 years ago (Deacon, 1999). However in 2008 the oldest art to date was found in a cave in Still Bay in Cape Town, called the ‘Blombos’ cave. It was named by Christopher
In a number of African Traditional Religions there exists a varying sense of morality. In Mama Lola author Karen McKarthy Brown states that Vodou morality is a “survival ethic.” Brown goes further and states that morality in Vodou is tailored to the situation and to the specific person or group involved. Brown elaborates by stating that Each spirit has a moral pull, but no one spirit prevails in every situation (Brown pg.242). One of Brown's best explanations of why this is so is because there is
Religions of Africa Africa is made up of more than fifty countries and is home to just over a billion people. Africa is not only diverse in its landscape and animals but the people are also extremely diverse. There are hundreds of different ethnic communities that, together, speak over 1000 languages. With this much diversity among the different communities, it is not surprising that there is much diversity in the religions in Africa. In Africa, there are many groups of people who follow different
melted together over the centuries to create a Trinidadian culture of its own. There are influences from almost every part of the world including, India, China, the United States, Lebanon, Spain, Britian, Africa, and cultures native the Caribbean. Religion is one the most important aspects defining culture. There is no one dominant faith on the island of Trinidad. According to a statistic in 1990, approximately 31 percent are Catholic (including 11 percent Anglican, 7 percent Pentecostal, 4 percent
B00466902 Introduction to African History (AFST/HIST 283A) December 16th, 2013 1. (a) Africans and Europeans have relations that date all the way back to the origins of humans and human migrations. Scholars have hypothesized that Homo erectus found in Europe about 800,000 years ago originated and migrated from Africa Europeans and Africans also had religious relations; which is evident from the spread of Christianity, introduced by the Byzantines, throughout Africa specifically in North Africa
the time or what decade it is, religion will still dominate the world and especially Africa. Over the years’ religions from all over the world have formed and people from all over the world have taken up and practiced those religions, making some religions well known while others most people still don’t know about it. The main religions I wanted to highlight was the traditional African religions, Christianity, and the Islamic religion. I put African traditional religions in one category because they
Islam is the second largest religion in the world, right behind Christianity with an estimated 1.6 billion global members as of 2010. With these astoundly high numbers, the Muslim presence is being felt all across the world. Roughly 240 million Muslims are currently residing in the northern half of Africa. Over the [past century the number of African Muslims has skyrocketed and become the second most popular religion in the area with Christianity only slightly ahead of it in terms of numbers.
wealth economically, such as the trading of ivory. In Things Fall Apart the idea of wealth is viewed by Europeans as belonging to and spreading the European culture and religion. Despite these different definitions of wealth, both groups of Europeans obtain their wealth by assuming a position of power over the Africans. However, the Africans in Things Fall Apart have an opposing view of wealth; that of peace and status within their society. Because of this they achieve wealth in a different manner than
Syncretism Africa has served as a place of religious encounter and change. Within Africa there is a unique blend of traditional religion and Western religions such as Islam and Christianity. Even in the modern day, neither traditional nor Western religions have eliminated the other. The religions coexist harmoniously within the African mindset. However, the way these religions coexist is not simply in the blending of the two, but rather in a culture of oscillation. Religious authorities create