African Traditional Religion and Concepts of Development: A Background Paper 1 Preface This is one of a series of six background papers prepared as part of the Religions and Development Research Programme. Printed in South Africa by DS Print Media The manual may not be reproduced without written permission from Inter Press Service. The problems of man in the African environment are many. 0000002006 00000 n The research projects will compare two or more of the focus countries, regions within the countries, different religious traditions and selected development activities and policies. Local African culture was oppressed for many years by white South Africans, who find their cultural roots in … It warns of the difficulties in attempting to add religion to a list of THE ROLE OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL MORALITY IN PEACE EDUCATION FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA By ANTHONY ZAAYEM APENDA, Ph.D Department of Religion and Philosophy, Benue State University, Makurdi. 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. When we speak of African Traditional Religion, we mean the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Africans. The concept . Contemporary African culture is a mixture of traditional elements and alien features. The values of Venn. 0000009414 00000 n The word environment is used by people in different fields of knowledge to talk about many things, and as result, they use the word differently. The concept . They play an important role in designing and implementing health systems involving traditional medicines and spirit possession. Figure 1: Importance of religion in the world, from Gallup poll 2006-2008 Figure 2: Human Development Index 2010 In Africa, the traditional belief systems hold the ascription of supernatural powers to objects called gods and goddesses. Abstract It is observed in this paper that no society can experience an enduring national 0000006690 00000 n 0000009360 00000 n 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. The complexity of the relationship between environment and religion in indigenous and contemporary African cultures and societies requires a more multidisciplinary approach that draws from a variety of sources, approaches, and epistemological positions: phenomenology, ecology, geography … Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. Despite diversity is known as unity, Africa’s diversity has been a source of … %%EOF It is a According to Choon and Van der Merwe (2008:1299), this phenomenon and practice is an ‘attempt to preserve good relations with the departed kin.’ The practice THE PLACE OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION IN INTERRELIGIOUS ENCOUNTERS IN SIERRA LEONE SINCE THE ADVENT OF ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY by PRINCE SORIE CONTEH submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY In the subject RELIGIOUS STUDIES at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTER: PROF G J A LUBBE APRIL … IN African religion, women encourage hard work and industrialisation for sustainable development. To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser. 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. It is often combined with elements of Christianity and Islam. The idea of connecting religion and development stemmed from the basic thought that religion influencing fertility rate. African Traditional Religion: A Definition (1973), Omosade Awolalu in Yoruba Belief and Sacrificial Rites and John Mbiti in The Concept of God in Africa (1970) are a few examples of postcolonial scholars of religion who have resisted and denounced colonial idea that Africans do not know God. Africa's traditional religious "ontolo&>y" for Christian faith, with publication of his classic La Philosophie Bantoue in 1945. African traditional religion refers to the indigenous or autochthonous religion of the African people. The efforts to use the frameworks of religion … Aims This paper aims to provide a brief analysis of the role of religion in Africa's development. Source: www.purdue.edu. 257 19 In most countries, Faso more than 33 percent follow African religion, although it is not the religion of the majority. African continent is increasingly seen as a crisis of values and, religion, a primary source of human values (NASR, 2011), also seen as critical in the search for sustainable solutions to the crisis. Tracing African Roots. Mbiti regards African Traditional Religion(s) (ATR(s)) as monotheism and as a praeparatio evangelica, and maintains that the Christian God is the same as the God worshipped in ATR(s). This text is not about the causes of Africa's underdevelopment per se. In their traditional milieu, however, Africans were compelled by certain routines to strictly respect time. The African is conscious of the influence of each category of these beings in the universe. Traditional African religion is very popular and arrived here with our North and West African ancestors. development, African traditional religion, Akan, kinship ties, totem, sacred groves Introduction I am yet to see a community or a society that is anti-development. Religion is often used to deny women their fundamental human rights. It is therefore important for any analysis or recommendations to take account of this. A parallel development has been the ability of many Africans to write about traditional beliefs and practises in world languages, ... whether African Traditional Religion should be termed monotheistic or polytheistic. Africa’s development in the twenty-first century will be shaped largely by religion. African Traditional Religion (ATR) and cultural practices in most parts of African communities are environmentally friendly and sustainable, contributing so much to natural resource sustainability and conservation (International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), 1992). The continued influence of traditional African religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life. in West Africa. You can download the paper by clicking the button above. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Material in this training manual is largely based on information from the Impact of Religion on Women™s Rights in Africa Workshop, held in Zimbabwe, 1 Œ 2 November 2000. Rather, it is about how African customary and traditional practices, and the efforts to obliterate these practices by agents of Western civilization affect, or can potentially affect, socio-economic development in Africa. gious tenets in the context of African traditional religion we shall further explore. They counteracted various derogatory names given to AIR. Clearly, religion matters when choosing the marital partner, marriage, divorce, and women’s working rate. force for positive social transformation and development in African society. However, African traditional religion The faith in ancestors continued to be practised by many African Christians. to national development. by religion (African Traditional Religion) through its moral education. The complexity of the relationship between environment and religion in indigenous and contemporary African cultures and societies requires a more multidisciplinary approach that draws from a variety of sources, approaches, and epistemological positions: phenomenology, ecology, geography … For instance, there were particular times when certain rituals had to take place, such as a sacrifice. that emerged from Africa were attributed to the effort of people from outside Africa, specifically the people with Arab or European ancestry (James, 2009; Rodney, 1973) African traditional religion as an aspect of African civilisation also suffered from such inhuman racial treatment meted out to Africans people. The Cosmos Traditional Africans believe that the cosmos was created by a Supreme Being, God. The training systems of Africans such as the traditional schools did exist, but most Africans. 2007 “ African traditional religion and the Concept of Development: A Background Paper . Many Christians and Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa describe members of the other faith as tolerant and honest. These teachings are bedrock for national development. The African continent experienced its own form of training and learning before it was colonized and even before the arrival of the missionaries. between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. Appraising the impact of religion on formal education to the development of Ghana is central to this paper and an important aspect worth discussing. <<1583B7E75006984D86C00963AF8F21B4>]>> The study examines the impact of religion on women empowerment. The study of Africa's traditional religion and the environment can be termed the ecology of religion. Religion is the strongest element in traditional background, and exerts probably the greatest influence upon the thinking and living of the people concerned.4 0000001262 00000 n ���O�)Z\����2�� The influence of Christianity on African Traditional Religion and African Christian This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. Ideologically speaking, the African world is a world of inanimate, animate and spiritual beings. Religion Africa is highly divers in culture, tradition, religion and ways of life. ���A�li@�R������(���1��y�д '-�Ӆ@ ��0c!��b�K�x�7. startxref traditional Africa was the oral literature. Each aims to provide an introduction and overview of the teachings of one of African religions, either from the scientific point of view, ... Manas Buthelezi, Julius Nyerere and many others. Introduction “African Traditional Religion” (ATR) is the term used for the indigenous religious traditions of Africa. ancestors, traditional religious healers, reincarnation and other elements of traditional African religions.1 Christianity and Islam also coexist with each other. 0000001082 00000 n Furthermore, it recommended among others, that functional education should be emphasized, particularly for the youths who are vital for the growth and sustainable development of Nigerian society. Th e report then “zooms in” on East Africa, where the three religious “families” of traditional religion, Islam and Christianity are all present in large numbers. The African continent continues to be faced with the challenge of establishing peace and development. The development community (practitioners and academics) has only quite recently begun to problematise the role of religion beyond simple matrices of religion as inhibitor to development or religion as a source of development . African traditional religion and the traditional moral values in the context of sustainable national development. For many Africans and Ghanaians, in particular, it is religion more than anything else that shapes their worldview and participation in social life6. He opines that African traditional religion contributed to the spread of Christian beliefs in Africa. Hence, it cannot be avoided in the interaction between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. ___Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org) ISSN 2056 - 5771(Print), ISSN 2056 - 578X(Online) 14 select certain sections of the culture and highlight the Christian influences. Oral literature encompasses fables, folktales, legends myths and proverbs. Conflicts Between African Traditional Religion and Christianity in Eastern Nigeria: The Igbo Example Chukwuma O. Okeke1, Christopher N. Ibenwa1, and Gloria Tochukwu Okeke1 Abstract Conflict is a universal phenomenon that is inevitable in human interaction. 257 0 obj <> endobj “African Traditional Religion” (ATR) is the term used for the indigenous religious traditions of Africa. Religion and Development: African Traditional Religion’s Perspective 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. 0000000016 00000 n The following people presented papers … Christianity correlates with each of the four Development Targets specified for women empowerment under the third of the Millennium Development Goals … When we speak of African Traditional Religion, we mean the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Africans. development, African traditional religion, Akan, kinship ties, totem, sacred groves Introduction I am yet to see a community or a society that is anti-development. In Africa, the traditional belief systems hold the ascription traditional Africa was the oral literature. Many Christians and Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa describe members of the other faith as tolerant and honest. uniform African traditional belief in the spirit world as Salala rightly points out (ibid., 134). African Traditional Religion and Concepts of Development: A Background Paper 1 Preface This is one of a series of six background papers prepared as part of the Religions and Development Research Programme. On the one hand, he used the traditional value of generosity against them and exposed the fact that they had betrayed those [tribal] values by becoming greedy and stingy; on the other hand, he turned upside down the traditional criterion for status, which was a prominent position in a powerful tribe. Africa's influential university departments of religion have usually approached the theme in terms of establishing correlations between Christianity and Africa's traditional religions. Roman African traditional Religion towards national development. Religion has an extremely powerful influence over people™s lives. 0000000688 00000 n in the development and exacerbation of the myriad of problems facing Africa and its people, this elemental dimension has not received sufficient academic attention. 0000006004 00000 n The study of Africa's traditional religion and the environment can be termed the ecology of religion. Vast amounts of resources have been utilised to craft peace agreements which have often collapsed under the weight of competing interests. Unless the African leaders become committed to improve their nation, the continent will remain under development. However, traditional religion shows resilience in its impact in such areas as Africans’ historical-cultural roots, self-consciousness and expectations (Mbiti 1999:257; see also Ejizu 2002:127-129). Traditional African religion (ATR) as done in most part of African communities are environmentally friendly and sustainable, thus contributing so much to natural resources sustainability and conservation. In particular, it impacts on gender relations and consequently on how women are treated in society and the home. In most countries, Numerous peace initiatives have been launched on the continent. 0000003324 00000 n Even with this definition of “diffused” monotheism in the Yoruba religion, coupled with similar notions scattered across the continent of Africa, the overwhelming facts do show that, even though Africans generally have an awareness and belief in the Supreme Being, the truth is, this Supreme Being is not known to have been exclusively worshipped by traditional Africans. 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