importance of african traditional religion

security: most Africans particularly Nigerian farmers especially plantation farmers and that of yams, cassava etc. . ThE AfRiCAn ConTinEnT To understand African religion, it helps to look at Africa itself. Because religion is a way of life, it relates to culture and society as they affect the worldview of the African people. 4. The ownership of land by our ancestors is the main link between politics, religion and spirituality in Zimbabwe. Mudimbe's Theories on Missionary Discourse in Africa]. The Spirit of Ancestors in African Traditional Religion How the spirits of ancestors can be a blessing or harmful and The Power and importance of ancestors in African traditional society Ancestors in African Traditional religion are very important in that they were once alive and now they are in … The amount of devotees to indigenous practices had dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. European Christian missionaries from 16th century onwards see African religions as demonic, primitive, evil & stupid • 2. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. A traditional African practitioner would have no need to ascribe to any one “religion” in that there would no conflict in his mind between his traditional African spirituality and another faith for they would not be mutually exclusive. It is not brought from outside. Indigenous African Religious beliefs and practices will always be relevant as they provide our societies with moral values, which guide the relationships between people in the community and instruct our relationships with the environment, spiritual realm and physical wellness. Although Africans who still wholly practice African indigenous religions are only about 10 percent of the African population, there are many professed Christians and Muslims who participate in one form of indigenous religious rituals and practices or another (see syncretism). African Traditional Religion is a thriving scholarly business, but a serious disconnect exists between contributions that celebrate a generalized African Traditional Religion and those that describe particular religions and aspects of religion on the basis of ethnographic and archival research. Religion 20 [1990] contains some articles on the study of African Religions that are worth reading. The purpose of this is to help to orient a person who would like to work in the context of Africa. Evil is generally interpreted as the work of evil spirits, witches, sorcerers, or evil eyes, broken taboos, oaths or even the deities or. Unlike Western mythology, African myths are not recounted as a single narrative story, nor is there any established corpus of myth. Religion in Africa. Animism builds the core concept of traditional African religions, this includes the worship of tutelary deities, nature worship, ancestor worship and the belief in an afterlife. The continued influence of traditional African religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life. African traditional religion refers to the indigenous or autochthonous religions of the African people. THE APPLICATION OF ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEM IN A NON-PROFIT MAKING ORGANIZATION (STUDY: 3... A STUDY OF PROBLEMS FACING VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF... A TOTAL OF 34 INDIGENOUSLY MANUFACTURED PHARMACEUTICAL ORAL LIQUIDS WERE PURCHASED FROM DIFFERENT POTENT... SCIENCE LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS. of tribal animosity, ethnic tension, hatred, violence, poverty, political instability, injustices etc. Traditional African religion is a way of life in which ancestors are part and parcel of every major or minor event such as wedding, births and deaths as well as fetching firewood. African Traditional Religion cannot easily be studied by non-Africans. . It is often combined with elements of Christianity and Islam. When we speak of African Traditional Religion, we mean the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Africans. ADVERT SPACE ! The most important thing is that in the new South Africa religion and spirituality are used to create greater understanding and harmony rather than to divide people as was done in the past. African traditional religious system has the following components: A. Foundational Religious Beliefs. Given the dynamism of Indigenous African Religions, it is easy to surmise its modern day relevance and applications in that: 1. This is a 3-hour summary lecture on the basic components of African Traditional Religions. A traditional African practitioner would have no need to ascribe to any one “religion” in that there would no conflict in his mind between his traditional African spirituality and another faith for they would not be mutually exclusive. Traditional African religion is very popular and arrived here with our North and West African ancestors. African Traditional Religion has grown out of the African soil. The rationale is to designate African traditional religion as inferior to Islam and Christianity. Given our current impending ecological crisis, indigenous African religions have a great deal to offer both African countries and the world at large on how human beings can best live within and interact with the environment. Importance of Religious Parallels and Commonalities • The similarities and parallels between ancient Egyptian religion, and traditional African religions suggest they derive from a common African “family” of certain religious ideas and practices • These include: single supreme creator god, many lesser gods, African Traditional Religion as Providing a Sound Learning Foundation The majority of the respondents (90.6%) indicated that the re- ligious educator in Zimbabwe’s primary schools needs some basic comprehension of the values of African Traditional Religion. “African spirituality simply acknowledges that beliefs and practices touch on and inform every facet of human life, and therefore African religion cannot be separated from the everyday or mundane.”  Jacob Olupona, professor of indigenous African religions at Harvard Divinity School. Religion serves as the structure around which all other activities, such as cultural, economic, political and social organizations are built. Africa is the second largest continent on Earth. For this reason, the disciples of Taylor conclude that African religion is said to be polytheistic, meaning that Africans serve several gods which further puts African religion at the bottom of religious evolution. There are four foundational religious beliefs in the traditional religions: (1) the belief in impersonal (mystical) power(s); (2) the belief in spirit beings; (3) the belief in divinities/gods and (4) the belief in the Supreme Being. Mugambi (1989) were negative to the African cultural and religious heritage whereby they applied such terms as ‘primitive’, ‘heathen’, and pagan to describe the African culture and religion, we need to not to take traditional African life for granted as we wrestle with problems facing our continent today. Every aspect of it cannot be described as original. Generally speaking, African religions hold that there is one creator God, the maker of a dynamic universe. and the nomadic farmers in Africa mostly apply charms of adverse actions to any that may try to steal their products, most of this charms are been collected from juju. It deals with their cosmology, ritual practices, symbols, arts, society, and so on. Many Africans across the continent are becoming more open about the idea of blending of traditional African religious practices with various other religions, including Christianity and Islam. The African traditional religious belief is that human beings do not live in this world alone; there is a sense of human beings‟ close relationship with nature. In their book, David Chidester, Chirevo Kwenda, Robert Petty, Judy Tobler, and Darrel Wratten have attempted to show the influence of African Religion amongst the indigenous people of Africa when they say that, "The popular version of African traditional religion is what Africans (including some elites, though mostly the masses) do with no regard for what Westerners, or any one … Mbiti (1969, p. 211) says that in Ancestors maintain a spiritual connection with their living relatives and generally most of them are good and kind. Traditional African religions also have elements of fetishism, shamanism and veneration of relics. 4–5). 5. This religion is found in all … To live here and now is the most important concern of African religious activities and beliefs. This testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. All this powers are acquired from juju, to carry out dubious operations. In the African traditional religions, ancestors were never considered demonic or as part of evil spirits (2007;383). Evil concerns any misfortune that befell an individual or community or any voluntary anti social behavior or any infringement of the decrees of God, the deities or ancestors. Ancestral spirits occupy a central and important position in the African traditional religion. Some African myths say that the number of souls and bodies is limited. Instead, myths are embedded and transmitted in ritual practice. Rosalind J. Hackett as a guest-editor has been responsible for those pages. Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and the Ivory Coast—African religion is the majority religion. One of the biggest influences on African traditional religions has been outside cultures. It is described as the product of thinking and experience of African forefathers and mothers of former generations. African Traditional Religion has been evolving; there is in it the element of continuity as well as discontinuity. Men, gender equality and the search for gender harmony, #NairobiNiMimi Series: The story of Charles Githinji. And we agree with Professor Idowu that the purpose of the study should be: When certain traditional cosmic and spirit powers and forces rules and regulations enshrined manifests, man is aware that many things do wrong and not all his expectations and needs are always met, African traditional religion protocols is Still inevitable rules, doctrines, norms and customs that are referred to in the enthronement of African traditional rulers even though the personality may be a Muslim or a Christian, but tradition must be observed, Prior to the commitment of Africans in the traditional ceremonies and medications, it is obvious that Christianity and Islam co-exists harmoniously with traditional African religion, Most African Muslims and Christians still consult the traditional religion healers when someone is sick and. African world view, ‘all life is religion’(Farrington 1998:16). It is best distinguished as ATR. "African Religions and Philosophy" is a systematic study of the attitudes of mind and belief that have evolved in the many societies of Africa. This belief, just as in the case of the previous one, has a theological basis – the plurality of divinities ( polytheism ). Due to the pluralistic nature of African-traditional religions, African spirituality has always been able to adapt to change and allow itself to absorb the wisdom and views of other religions. For example, in 14 of the 19 countries surveyed, more than three-in-ten people say they sometimes consult traditional healers when someone in their household is sick. 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They play … African religious leaders include the sacred kings and chiefs who often serve as both spiritual and community leaders. Modish project is an organization aimed at facilitating students with their various research thesis materials, and also provide them with effective solutions in other academic concerns.Rely on us for a stress-free research project work, A-class academic materials, and easy guides through the course of your academic programme. Since it is a religion practised by living persons today, changes are to be expected. Religion in Africa. ADVERT SPACE !! There is neither paradise to be hoped for nor hell to be feared in the hereafter" (Mbiti 1969, pp. Even life in the hereafter is conceived in materialistic and physical terms. African traditional religion refers to the indigenous or autochthonous religion of the African people. Over the years, African traditional institutions have thrived on religion. Traditional African Religion • 1. This allows it to more easily be amended and influenced by other religious ideas, religious wisdom, and by modern development. it does not maintain to uniform doctrine therefore its spiritual beliefs are not bound by a written text or code. African traditional religion refers to the indigenous or autochthonous religions of the African people. Africa’s a very large and diverse continent; it’s even larger than North America or Australia. Tracing African Roots IN African religion, women encourage hard work and industrialisation for sustainable development. They play an important role in designing and implementing health systems involving traditional medicines and spirit possession. This article, therefore, aims at presenting African traditional religion’s voice in this important discourse by using the traditional Akan people of Ghana as a case study. 2. The traditional religions of Africa are human in the deepest sense, because they focus on people and their everyday problems. African Traditional Religion is now widely taught in African universities, but its identity remains essentially negative: African belief that is not Christianity or Islam. These figures represent peo-ple who primarily follow African traditional religion; however, Zimbabwe is the land of our forefathers and that land was passed to us by the forefathers. Earlier researchers and missionaries portrayed them often as primitive and barbaric and ridiculed them [I give many examples in my book: White Fathers in Colonial Central Africa - a Critical Examination of V.Y. where one’s family came from. It deals with their cosmology, ritual practices, symbols, arts, society, and so on. Religions are basically meant to help people in their tribulations but religious pluralism in Africa has brought conflict, tension and confusion in families and communities. This allows it to more easily be amended and influenced by other religious ideas, religious wisdom, and by modern development. The destiny of a community is fulfilled through both successive and simultaneous multiple reincarnations. IMPLICATION FOR COUNSELLING. It deals with their cosmology, ritual practices, symbols, arts, society and so on .because religion is a way of life, it relates to culture and society as they affect the worldview of the African people. God is the one who brings forth good, while human causes evil to themselves and others. While some religions adopted a pantheistic worldview, most follow a polytheistic system with various gods, spirits and other supernatural beings. Differences between African Traditional Religion and Christianity. For instance, the Yoruba religion has historically been centered in southwestern Nigeria, the Zulu religion in southern Africa, and the Igbo religion in southeastern Nigeria. For centuries, African Traditional Religion in its myriad of forms was practiced by the majority of Africans, but in the last fifty years Christianity and Islam have become more prominent. Ultimately Indigenous African Religious beliefs and practices will always be relevant as they provide our societies with moral values, which guide the relationships between people in the community and instruct our relationships with the environment, spiritual realm and physical wellness. Only Asia is larger. ably represent the largest current manifestation of traditional African religion, albeit in a pluralist context. The traditional approach of indigenous African religions to gender is one of complementarity in which a confluence of male and female forces must operate in harmony. First, in the origin myths of several peoples, such as the Baganda of Uganda and the Edo of Nigeria, the first king or chief of the community was endowed with the sacred power of the Supreme Deity. Women play a key role in the practice of these traditions, and the internal gender relations and dynamics are very profound. Cultism: the cultists groups usually known for their sovereignty in terrorism and their immortality, having the ability to appear and dis-appear.at time’s metals could do them no harm. Even though Africans mostly are either Christian or Muslim, and marry according to their religions; couples must also perform traditional marriage rights. In this second edition, Dr Mbiti has updated his material to include the involvement of women in religion, and the potential unity to be found in what was once thought to be a mass of quite separate religions. Here and now is the most important concern of African religious leaders include the sacred kings and chiefs who serve. Single narrative story, nor is there any established corpus of myth mean the indigenous autochthonous! Popular and arrived here with our North and West African ancestors involving medicines. 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