African religions

The indigenous religions of Africa. This entry discusses African religions south of the Sahara Desert. North of the Sahara ISLAM has been the dominant religion since the 600s C.E. People have lived in Africa for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of years. Indeed, many believe that the genus Homo fi rst evolved in Africa. Hominid bones found at Olduvai Gorge in Kenya from 1959 on seem to confi rm this belief. Some are over two million years old. The history of Africa south of the Sahara is not known as well as we would like. That is true of the history of African religions, too. African religions do have venerable pasts. For example, African rock paintings often have mythological and religious signifi cance. Some rock paintings date as far back as 26,000 B.P. (before the present). It would be a mistake, however, to think that traditional African religions were static and never changed, as was commonly thought in the late 1800s. Like all religions, they changed and developed. For example, in the last 500 years, many African peoples acquired kings. They often thought these kings were sacred. There are thousands of African cultures, languages, and religions. Obviously, it is impossible to describe them all. But some features of African religions appear fairly frequently. Many traditional Africans know about a "high god" who created the universe. This god is distant and unconcerned with daily life. Africans tell many different stories to explain why. They also tell stories about the beings who fi rst invented cultural products and social institutions. Other stories tell about fi gures known as TRICKSTERS. Some superhuman beings have a more direct impact on human life. They include beings sometimes called gods and sometimes called spirits. They also include the souls of the dead. These souls may be venerated as ancestors. They may also be considered to be GHOSTS. Traditional Africans interact with these beings by means of RITUALS. Healing plays a large role in most African religions (see HEALING, RELIGIOUS). Traditional Africans often attribute sickness and misfortune to WITCHCRAFT and sorcery. In some cases witchcraft may cause disease without any conscious intention on the part of the supposed witch. Traditional Africans may consult specialists who know how to counteract these forces. Sometimes traditional Africans attribute diseases to "affl iction," that is, to a spirit that is possessing a person. In these cases the spirit needs to be expelled. African religions generally have RITES OF PASSAGE to make a transition from one stage of existence to another. INITIATION rituals are particularly well developed. SACRIFICES and offerings are very important components of African ritual practice. Music, dancing, and arts, such as mask-making, also make major contributions to the practice of African religions (see MUSIC AND RELIGION, DANCE AND RELIGION, ART, RELIGIOUS, and MASKS AND RELIGION). Many African religions also assign special roles to chosen people. Such religious leaders include priests (see PRIESTS AND PRIESTHOOD), prophets, mediums, diviners, and kings. At the end of the 20th century, only about 10 percent of Africans practiced traditional religions. Roughly 50 percent practiced CHRISTIANITY and 40 percent practiced Islam. During the late 19th and 20th centuries, Africans also developed "new religions." Many of these new religions were indigenous Christian churches. They either broke away from mission churches or were founded by African prophets. Often they combined traditional African themes with Christianity or Islam. Examples include the Aladura ("praying people") churches of Nigeria, which eventually broke away from their American parent church, and the amaNazaretha Baptist Church, founded by the Zulu prophet Isaiah Shembe (d. 1935). Other new religions fi t traditional religious practices into the organizational forms of Christianity and Islam. An example is the Bwiti Church of Gabon.