Since Africa is a large continent with many ethnic groups and cultures, there is not one single technique of casting divination. There is neither paradise to be hoped for nor hell to be feared in the hereafter" (Mbiti 1969, pp. Although traditional African religion recognises a Supreme God, followers do not worship him or her directly as they do not feel worthy enough. Only by giving a belief system a proper name can a comprehensive, complex theology and cosmology emerge, along with a m… See also: Divination, Early-20th-century Yoruba divination board. Traditional African Beliefs. It is a global framework of life, encompassing every human situation and governing the whole of society. Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural, include belief in a supreme creator, belief in spirits, veneration of the dead, use of magic, and traditional medicine. Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural and passed down from one generation to another through folk tales, songs and festivals, include belief in an amount of higher and lower gods, sometimes including a supreme creator or force, belief in spirits, veneration of the dead, use of magic and traditional African medicine. The religious traditions and beliefs of the African peoples have enough differences to merit a study of each in its own right. According to Gottlieb and Mbiti: The environment and nature are infused in every aspect of traditional African religions and culture. That is the case concerning issues about Africa and its religious beliefs. There are more similarities than differences in all traditional African religions. According to Clemmont E. Vontress, the various religious traditions of Africa are united by a basic Animism. Traditional African religions. “African traditional religion” doesn’t quite exist. The traditional African religions or traditional beliefs and practices of African people are a set of highly diverse beliefs that includes various ethnic religions. [10][11][12][13][14] The two Abrahamic religions are widespread across Africa, though mostly concentrated in different areas. According to him, the belief in spirits and ancestors is the most important element of African religions. African Traditional Religions are sets of diverse beliefs that are followed by people in separate places. This would mean that they are cut from the community of ancestors in death and (among common African belief) that is the equivalent of hell. Traditional healers are common in most areas, and their practices include a religious element to varying degrees. The ancestors are generally believed to reside in an ancestral realm (spiritworld), while some believe that the ancestors became equal in power to deities.[29]. about African Traditional Religions. Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural, include belief in a supreme creator, belief in spirits, veneration of the dead, use of magic and traditional African medicine. Ancestors can offer advice and bestow good fortune and honor to their living dependents, but they can also make demands, such as insisting that their shrines be properly maintained and propitiated. He gave birth to the human community, created the first Kikuyu communities, and provided them with all the resources necessary for life: land, rain, plants and animals. Finally, religion includes the beliefs and practices of historic native African communities with regard to the supernatural and the meaning and purpose of life. Today, around 10 percent of the African population still practice some form of traditional religion. The traditional African religions (or traditional beliefs and practices of African people) are a set of highly diverse beliefs that include various ethnic religions. African religious leaders include the sacred kings and chiefs who often serve as both spiritual and community leaders. The religions practiced by the majority of people living in Africa are Christianity and Islam. Traditional African beliefs are much older and have been practiced in Zimbabwe longer than any other religion in the country. [15], Followers of traditional African religions are also found around the world. In Christian or Islamic communities, religious beliefs are also sometimes characterized with syncretism with the beliefs and practices of traditional religions. When this trance-like state is witnessed and understood, adherents are privy to a way of contemplating the pure or symbolic embodiment of a particular mindset or frame of reference. Instead, myths are embedded and transmitted in ritual practice. Their beliefs deal with the relation of humans to the divine and with communication between the human world and the spirit world. Traditional African Belief continues to have a significant influence in Ghana because of the intimate relation to local mores and family loyalties. They have been nurtured with the local practices and culture, but still carry some similarities, like pantheism, in their structures. There are more similarities than differences in all traditional African religions. In recent times, traditional religions, such as the Yoruba religion, are on the rise. The Benin Monarchy, Olokun & Iha Ominigbon. All aspects of weather, thunder, lightning, rain, day, moon, sun, stars, and so on may become amenable to control through the cosmology of African people. The practice of casting may be done with small objects, such as bones, cowrie shells, stones, strips of leather, or flat pieces of wood. The traditional African understanding and the interpretation of Christianity have deep roots in these fundamental beliefs of the African traditional religions. Characteristics Of African Traditional Religions 898 Words | 4 Pages. This belief, just as in the case of the previous one, has a theological basis – the plurality of divinities ( polytheism ). Some sacred or holy locations for traditional religions include Nri-Igbo, the Point of Sangomar, Yaboyabo, Fatick, Ife, Oyo, Dahomey, Benin City, Ouidah, Nsukka, Kanem-Bornu, Igbo-Ukwu, and Tulwap Kipsigis, among others. Traditional African religion is still popular throughout Africa and stems from the beliefs of Central and West African ancestors. African Religion embraces Spiritual, political and social aspects of human beings. The practice of casting may be done with small objects, such as bones, cowrie shells, stones, strips of leather, or flat pieces of wood. These books have a great amount of useful information on this topic, some of it written before colonialism destroyed or greatly modified aspects of traditional culture. 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