african traditional religion kenya

An Egungun masquerade dance garment in the permanent collection of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Such separation and subsequent contemplation of the nature and sources of pure energy or feelings serves to help participants manage and accept them when they arise in mundane contexts. 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. Diviner (also known as priest) are also sought for their wisdom as counselors in life and for their knowledge of herbal medicine. In Sierra Leone, Botswana, and Burkina Faso more than 33 percent follow African religion, although it is not the religion of the majority. He then took the first man, Gikuyu, to the top to point out the beauty of the land he was giving him.In traditional African religions, such as the Azande religion, a person is said to have a good or bad conscience, depending on whether he does the bidding of God or malevolent spirits. Africa is a massive continent with diverse religious traditions, to the extent that within the same tradition there have been variations. The Kenyan scholar John Mbiti writes that a belief in the continuation of life after death for African peoples "does not constitute a hope for a future and better life. 1, Hutchison, 1913, p.xll. Traditional Religions The religions practiced by the majority of people living in Africa are Christianity and Islam. [23][24][20] San religion is generally non-theistic but a belief in a Spirit or Power of existence which can be tapped in a trance-dance; trance-healers. This pursuit for Africans has religious implications because, as it is widely known, the Africans are notoriously religious 1 and have a holistic worldview. Main article: List of African mythological figures. [33] This includes also nature, elementary and animal spirits. [16], 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. Umewaen: Journal of Benin & Edoid Studies: Osweego, NY. To efficiently study the African Traditional Religion (ATR), one must also study the people who practice this religion. For centuries the barriers of desert, tropical forest, and sea prevented religions from spreading south. In some traditional African religions, morality is associated with obedience or disobedience to God regarding the way a person or a community lives. Yet Ngai is not the distant God that we know in the West. When Ludwig got to All Christians are listed in one category regardless of their denominations. [31], 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. This is a 3-hour summary lecture on the basic components of African Traditional Religions. Today, Christianity and Islam are religions practiced by the majority of people living in Africa. All Rights Reserved. [35], Traditional African religions generally believe in an afterlife, one or more Spirit worlds, and Ancestor worship is an important basic concept in mostly all African religions. Among Afro-Asiatic-speakers is henotheism, the belief in one's own gods but accepting the existence of other gods; evil here is caused by malevolent spirits. He – for Ngai is male – cannot be seen, but is manifest in the sun, moon, stars, comets and meteors, thunder and lightning, rain, in rainbows and in the great fig trees (mugùmò) that served as places of worship and sacrifice, and which marked the spot at Mukurue wa Gathanga where Gikuyu and Mumbi – the ancestors of the Kikuyu in the oral legend – first settled. He summarizes that traditional African religions are not only religions, but a worldview, a way of life. Encyclopædia Britannica, (2003), Index of African mythology and creation narratives, List of African deities and mythical figures, Traditional African Religion and other religions, Persecution of traditional African religion, "The world of spirits and the respect for nature: towards a new appreciation of animism", "Animism: Foundation of Traditional Healing in Sub-Saharan Africa", What is religion? The symbol can be found throughout Ghana. The role of humanity is generally seen as one of harmonising nature with the supernatural. Natural phenomena are responsible for providing people with their daily needs. An African understanding, The List: The World's Fastest-Growing Religions, "US study sheds light on Africa's unique religious mix", Ian S. Markham,(A World Religions Reader. Because religion is a way of life, it relates to culture and society as they affect the worldview of the African people. 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. Introduction Africa today suffers from what Kiogora (1993) refers to as the ‘Phenomenon of religious … When we speak of African Traditional Religion, we mean the indigenous religious beliefs History of African traditional religion. The two Abrahamic religions are widespread across Africa, though mostly concentrated in different areas. Some castings are done using sacred divination plates made of wood or performed on the ground (often within a circle). 1. It is the most popular for decoration and can often be seen printed on cloth or stamped on pottery.The rapid spread of Pentecostal Christianity and fundamentalist Islam has greatly affected the role of indigenous religion in African society. [17] Traditional African religions also have elements of fetishism, shamanism and veneration of relics. The living stand between their ancestors and the unborn. to tag the traditional religion of Africans and believe […] The three main religious traditions—African traditional religion, Christianity, and Islam—constitute the triple religious heritage of the African continent. Study Guide MSR203. Ngai is the creator and giver of all things, ‘the Divider of the Universe and Lord of Nature’. [30], West and Central African religious practices generally manifest themselves in communal ceremonies or divinatory rites in which members of the community, overcome by force (or ashe, nyama, etc. They have replaced indigenous African religions, but are often adapted to African cultural contexts and belief systems. This is a 3-hour summary lecture on the basic components of African Traditional Religions. Gods and Spirits. There are generally no prohibitions against the practice. 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. [6][1] The role of humanity is generally seen as one of harmonizing nature with the supernatural. Magic – Many of the African traditional religions believe in mysterious forces and magic. To live here and now is the most important concern of African religious activities and beliefs. Magic – Many of the African traditional religions believe in mysterious forces and magic.Priests (sometimes known as witchdoctors) may cast spells or … With a long farming tradition, the Serer high priests and priestesses (Saltigue) deliver yearly sermons at the Xoy Ceremony (divination ceremony) in Fatick before Yoonir’s phase in order to predict winter months and enable farmers to start planting. 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]. But before those two religions arrived, there were several traditional religions practiced. [10][11][12][13][14] The two Abrahamic religions are widespread across Africa, though mostly concentrated in different areas. There are many adherents of traditional religions, who came from long ago and are associated with a long autonomous historical development. "Religions of South Africa" pp. The traditional African understanding and the interpretation of Christianity have deep roots in these fundamental beliefs of the African traditional religions. Also, this practice can also give rise to those in these trances uttering words which, when interpreted by a culturally educated initiate or diviner, can provide insight into appropriate directions which the community (or individual) might take in accomplishing its goal. Africa is a vast continent, with many races, but in religion as in other matters it is helpful for study to divide the continent at the Sahara Desert. Culture A deeper look into the different cultures of the African continent, its food, people, music, art, language and more. 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. According to Gottlieb and Mbiti: The environment and nature are infused in every aspect of traditional African religions and culture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_African_religions The will of the Supreme Deity is sought by the believer also through consultation of divinities or divination. Therefore, one... […] Sunni Muslims perform the following: […], Manjonjo Healers of Chitungwiza of Zimbabwe. Some recognize a dual God and Goddess such as Mawu-Lisa. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/religious-beliefs-in-kenya.html Also, this practice can also give rise to those in these trances uttering words which, when interpreted by a culturally educated initiate or diviner, can provide insight into appropriate directions which the community (or individual) might take in accomplishing its goal. Most African societies believe in a single Supreme being (Chukwu, Nyame, Olodumare, Ngai, Roog, etc.). That is the case concerning issues about Africa and its religious beliefs. There are more similarities than differences in all traditional African religions. constantly liable to misunderstand the African worldview and beliefs. About 10 per cent of the African population is still practicing some form of traditional religion today. 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. In many cases, Africans who have converted to other religions have still kept up their traditional customs and practices, combining them in a syncretic way.[42]. The religion of the Yoruba is finding roots in the Islands of the Caribbean and portions of Central and South America. This builds skills at separating the feelings elicited by this mindset from their situational manifestations in daily life. The Central Regional Chairperson of the Psychic and Traditional Healers Association Limited, Nana Kojo Owonae who is also the Chief Priest of the Santrofi Shrine at Asebu has said the African Traditional Religion is the best. African religions also share many ideas with world religions such as Judaism and Buddhism. 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. This facilitates better control and transformation of these energies into positive, culturally appropriate behavior, thought, and speech. All over the world we find a firm belief in a spiritual reality behind the confusions of daily existence, though understanding of the exact nature of the relationship between the spheres of spirit and matter varies enormously. Main article: Persecution … African elders offering a bull as sacrifice to God. 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. Some of the African traditional religions are those of the Serer of Senegal, the Yoruba and Igbo of Nigeria, and the Akan of Ghana and the Ivory Coast. 1. African religions also share many ideas with world religions such as Judaism and Buddhism. In traditional African societies, many people seek out diviners on a regular basis. Among Nilo-Saharan speakers is the belief in Divinity; evil is caused by divine judgement and retribution; prophets as middlemen between Divinity and man. Inter-religious relations, especially, among African Traditional Religion (ATR) worshippers, Muslims and Christians are becoming sources of social tension and violence. In some traditional African religions, morality is associated with obedience or disobedience to God regarding the way a person or a community lives. In the village of Eshowe in the KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa, a Zulu Isangoma (diviner), with a puff adder in his mouth, practices soothsaying, or predicting, with snakes. These included marriage rituals which entered adulthood, birth and death. They counteracted various derogatory names given to AIR. Monotheism does not reflect the multiplicity of ways that the traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. There are generally no prohibitions against the practice. Keywords: Africa, Kenyan Experience, African Traditional Religion, Justice, Reconciliation and Peace. . They include the Protestants, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Independent and non-affiliated Christians. 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