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
beliefs is the belief in God as the Creator of mankind. The religion of Christianity is one in which Christians believe in God as the heavenly father and Jesus Christ as his son and savior. Africa religions encompass a wide variety of traditional beliefs. This religious group shares many of the same aspects of Christianity. However, there are also some customs and principles that are in stark contrast to Christian beliefs. Although African religious customs are sometimes shared by many local societies
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,
African American Religion A basic understanding of African religions will provide an awareness of African customs, the African view of death and life beyond death. In many cases the african religion is polytheistic on their day to day practices.However, they believe in The High God where is overriding beliefs that beyond gods, spirits one god exists. Despite the general belief in a Supreme Being, cults to the “High God” are notably absent from many African religions; prayers of petition or sacrificial
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
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
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
African Americans practice a various number of religions, Christianity is by far the most popular. Up to the present day religiosity has always been a coping behavior among African Americans. The majority of them found peace and hope in their spirituals during slavery. Throughout one of the most dark times in our nations history, religion has played a big roll for African Americans. They created ways of expressing African meanings and values through the form of songs and stories. Due to their enslavement
Daniel envisioned a time when knowledge would increase (Daniel 12:4). There is much evidence today of African American successes in many areas. African Americans have just about improved on about every area of life that tried to defeat them before. During the deadly decades of slavery in America, slaves being able to talk amongst other slaves were a constant cause of concern to most slave owners. They felt this to be a threat to them and their personal safety. For many members of the white society
concerning the nature of Haitian Vodun. Vodun has received a reputation for being superstitious “Black magic”. Practitioners of Haitian Vodou have historically not objectified the religion as such but rather said that they “serve the spirits.” This connects to the way Vodou challenges the boundaries that the concept of “religion” seems to presume, from transformative assimilating aspects of Roman Catholicism to centrally incorporating healing processes. The ascribed identity of Vodou reflects a great
African Yoruba Orisa worship is said to be a widely practiced African religion. The Yoruba religion is prominent in regions such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Columbia, Trinidad, Haiti, Trinidad, and Cuba. This religious practice has a few differences from Christianity. One of the most obvious differences would be that Christianity is a monotheistic religion, and the Yoruba religion is assumed to be polytheistic. When the Africans were brought to the New World during the Maafa, many of them practiced this
choosing them. Many look to close relatives for their role models (Bricheno, P. & Thornton, M. and M.).” In the article, The Role of Religion in the Lives of Resilient, Urban, African American, Single Mothers by Anne E. Brodsky, there are many examples of young Mothers’ proving that even thru adversity and pain the power of a strong belief in faith and religion that a mother can be a
Kuona, An African Perspective on Religions: J.N.K. Mugambi's Contribution ABSTRACT: Kuona is a Shona (one of Zimbabwe’s major languages) verb meaning "to see." In poetic constructions, it is often used as an ocular metaphor meaning insight or understanding. This ocular metaphor can be used to describe Mugambi’s assessment of the exclusivistic claims one often encounters in the Abrahamic religions. Such claims often arise from a strongly held belief that the adherent is one of God’s chosen. Mugambi
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
The African idea of the High God per Hopfe states that “there is a supreme High God who created the world and then withdrew from active participation.” (Hopfe, page 51, 20007), as well as that “there is a common belief that beyond all of the minor gods, goodness, spirits, and ancestors there is only one God who created and in some sense still governs the world.” African religions are generally considered polytheistic. In addition, it is also believed that this High God resides in a distant place
communal good. All of these ideas came together and merged with Christian and Catholic beliefs after Africans were transported to the Americas and subjected to unimaginable horrors as slaves. Many historians define voodoo as “a syncretism between the African religion Vodu and Catholicism.” Voodoo is an entirely new creation, which was born as the African slaves were confronted with New World religions. These new ideas were “camouflaged as European saints, the Orisha divinities continued to be invoked
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
There are traces of African religion in the novel Beloved other than the Christian religion. It is noteworthy that an Egyptian God named Setekh, Setesh or Set is quite similar to Seth. The explanation of this god is given in Encyclopedia Britannica (2009) that, “Seth embodied the necessary and creative element of violence and disorder within the ordered world.” (15), which is a depiction that is corresponding to the character of Sethe, who makes use of violence to generate an essential modification
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
festival and 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