Selected Aspects of African Religious Heritage
Introduction
All traditional African communities believe in a Supreme Being who is the origin and sustainer of all things: He is the creator of the universe and all that it contains. All Africans agree that nobody has ever seen God. Therefore, nobody can truly describe Him, yet through their religious insights, Africans have formulated ideas about the nature of God. These ideas concern His real being and His activities.
“Traditional religion” refers to African culture that existed in sub-Saharan Africa. African traditional culture had no scriptures or texts because most of it was oral. It was preserved and handed down from generation to generation through oral traditions, ceremonies, rituals, and leading personalities.
African Concept of God, Spirits, and Ancestors
Africans believed in the existence of a supreme being who lived in mountains, clouds, and the sky. God was the creator of the universe. In African traditions, religion was integrated into every aspect of life and daily activities. For example, farming activities involved God, spirits, and ancestors. People would pray to God, spirits, and ancestors to ask for blessings in order to have a good harvest. Livestock keepers believed that the fertility of their animals was a result of the blessings of God. If God was appeased, animals would increase.
Natural phenomena such as thunder, lightning, rain, good harvest, and birth were linked to the Supreme Being and the invisible world. If there were calamities such as drought, disease, famine, and death, it was an indication that God, spirits, and ancestors were displeased with humankind. Many communities have invocations uttered throughout the day.
Nature or Attributes of God
God is described with many names, which are God’s attributes. These include:
a) God is Good – Nearly all African communities describe God as being good to all people and things. He gives rain, sunshine, and life among many other gifts.
b) God is Merciful – The Akamba refer to God as “God of pity,” the “merciful one.” God shows mercy in times of danger, illness, difficulty, or anxiety.
c) God is Holy. He is pure, holy, and does not make mistakes. The Yoruba call Him God who is pure, without blemish. The Kikuyu say God is “Possessor of whiteness,” and the Bukusu – “master whitewash.” African traditions all approach God with reverence, fear, respect, and honor. For example, when offering sacrifices, they would offer a one-color animal either white, black, or brown and not a spotted animal.
d) God is Powerful (Omnipotent). God is described as almighty. His power is expressed in natural occurrences like thunder, lightning, earthquakes, rains, and floods.
e) God is All-Knowing (Omniscient). God knows all things; nothing can be hidden from Him. He discerns hearts.
f) God is All-Present (Omnipresent). He is present everywhere in the universe.
g) God is Limitless. God has no limit. He is both very far and very near, beyond and within.
h) God is Transcendent. God cannot be exhausted by human imagination. He is unexplainable, beyond human experience and understanding.
i) God is All Understanding.
j) God is Self-Existent. He made all things but He Himself is not made. He exists on His own. The Zulu explain that God is “he who is of Himself.”
k) God is a Spirit. He is invisible and everlasting. The Shilluk of Sudan refers to Him as “great spirit,” “the formless spirit.”
l) God is Everlasting. God is eternal, never changes, and never dies. The Yoruba call Him “the mighty immovable rock that never dies.”
m) God is the Creator. The world Kikuyu call Him “Mumbi.”
n) God is Just. The Kikuyu refer to God as “Mugai,” meaning “divider,” “one who shares out.” God judges fairly, punishes those who do wrong, and rewards the good with blessings.
o) God is the Provider. All communities acknowledge that God provides them with everything they have. Africans built representations of the power of God. They identified sites, places, and things that represented the presence and power of God. For example, things like big trees, thick forests, high mountains, unique rock formations, large rivers, and animals. In these places, they built sites and shrines. Shrines were regarded as holy, and people approached them with reverence.
Spirits
They were believed to exist between God and human beings in the universe. Spirits were diverse and created by God. Some spirits were dead human beings. Spirits were divided into nature, sky, earth, and human spirits that were either long dead (ghosts) or recently dead (ancestors).
There were different types of spirits:
a. Divinities. These are spirits created by God. They are close to God and act as His agents. They are in charge of natural phenomena like the sun, moon, and stars. They are intermediaries between God and ancestral spirits, human beings, and other creatures. They reveal God’s plans through diviners and mediums.
b. Human spirits / common spirits. These are inferior to divinities but higher than humankind. They are remains of human beings after their death. These spirits monitor human activities. Human spirits have lost their names and are no longer remembered by the living. They are believed to live in the underworld, underground, in thick bushes, forests, rivers, mountains, lakes, skies, and caves among other places. These spirits can bring harm to the living if disrespected. They appear to people in dreams or in the form of shadows. They can also enter or possess a person and cause abnormalities.
3. Ancestors / Living Dead
These are spirits of the recently dead. They are remembered by the living when children are named after them. They are actively involved in the lives and activities of the living. Their offerings (food or drink) are poured on the ground for them to receive.
Ancestors are in a period of transition between the living and the higher categories. They are believed to know the problems of the living and therefore consulted constantly. They are also associated with evil such as revenge for burying them without honor, not following the instructions they gave before they died, or failing to pour them libations. When they are happy with the living, they are a source of blessings. Ancestors who did evil things or committed suicide are forgotten and ignored.
Hierarchy of Beings
Hierarchy means the order or ranking from the highest to the lowest of created beings. At the top is:
- Divinities
- Ancestors
- Human Beings
- Animals and Plants
- Non-living Things
The Role of God, Spirits, and Ancestors
God is the creator. The Akamba community believed that God, whom they called Mulungu, created man and woman. He then tossed them to the earth. The Luhya claim God created them from the black topsoil, hence their skin complexion.
God is the source and giver of life. Barren women pray to God to ask for children. Human beings depend on God for life, rain, air, and sunshine.
God is the provider. He gave domestic animals to human beings for their use. Domestic animals have many uses such as repayment of dowry, food, sacrifices to God, and payment of a fine by an offender.
Many wild animals are used in folk songs and tales to discourage cowardice and laziness.
God is a protector of human beings from evil.
God is the giver of moral laws and a judge of people.
God offers solutions to man’s problems through mediums and prophets.
God gives power to specialists such as medicine men, women, and priests.
God punishes people for wrongdoing.
Wild animals such as hyenas are used in folk stories to discourage cowardice. Stories of tortoise illustrate the importance of being slow but sure. Snakes in some communities such as the Luhya were not killed.
The community believed snakes were immortal ancestors coming to visit the living.
Plants were used as food for people and animals. Trees were used for fuel and building materials. Some trees were used as sacred places of worship.
Non-living things such as rain, rocks, and rivers had religious importance. Rain is seen as a blessing from God. When rain fails, a diviner or rain maker was consulted. Rocks and mountains were believed to be dwelling places for the living, the dead, and the spirits.
The spirits were viewed as neither good nor evil. Human beings feared them. Their roles were many. They:
- Appeared in dreams especially to diviners, priests, medicine men and women, and rain makers to relay information.
- Were consulted by religious specialists to find the cause of a problem in a given situation.
- Were bad (naughty) spirits, which disturbed people. African communities believed that bad spirits could call out one’s name but on turning there’s no one.
- Were manipulated by some human beings to cause harm to others.
- Relayed God’s messages to human beings.
- Sometimes possessed a person causing the person to be sent away from the village to the forest, or away from home.
- Acted as intermediaries between humans, divinities, and God.
Role of Ancestors
- Appear to families in dreams and visions.
- Give family instructions, i.e., what should be done.
- Rebuke those who fail to honor them and warn them of impending punishment.
- Act as mediators between the living and God.
- Enquire about family affairs as they are considered members of the family.
- Request sacrifice of an animal which is slaughtered for them.
- Cause illness or mental disturbance to members of a family if they are disregarded or disobeyed.
- Preserve the culture of a community.
- Welcome those who die to the spirit world.
Responsibility of the Living Towards God, Spirits, and Ancestors
Responsibilities of the living include:
Human beings are expected to worship God, spirits, and ancestors and show reverence and respect or veneration to God. They are also expected to (i) pray, (ii) sing, and (iii) dance.
Worship is our major responsibility as God expects us to meet and communicate with the spiritual world and God. There are several ways of worshipping God. These include among others:
(a) Sacrifices and Offerings
Sacrifices include shedding the blood of animals and birds. Offerings are in the form of foodstuffs, milk, water, and honey. God was worshipped because He is recognized as the absolute owner of life and property. We also worship God in order to (i) invoke Him for special blessings, (ii) thank Him, (iii) express our personal fellowship and communion with God, and (iv) avert or prevent evil. Evils bring about epidemics, famine, floods, and drought.
(b) Singing and Dancing
Africans worshipped God through singing, dancing, clapping of hands, drumming, and use of musical instruments.
(c) Prayers, Invocations, and Blessings
Prayers were accompanied with sacrifices or offerings. Community leaders prayed to God, spirits, and ancestors.
(d) Invocations are shortened forms of prayers, e.g., “Help me oh God,” “Oh great God.” These are prayers at the spur of the moment. They are few words full of meaning and calling for help from God.
(e) Formal blessings. An elder or older person gave blessings. It is believed that the person blessing the other one is doing so on behalf of God.
(f) Venerations
Africans treated their ancestors with great respect and honor. They, for example, worshipped ancestors daily. Worshipping included placing food or pouring libation of beer, milk, water, and honey for the spirits. As this act was done, they uttered words to accompany the offerings. Libations were done daily by some communities.
(g) Ancestors were honored by:
- Mentioning their names at prayers offered to God.
- Naming children after them.
- Inviting them to participate in family ceremonies and rituals, for example during birth and initiation.
- Maintaining their graves well.
- Giving the dead a decent burial.
Communication with Spirits
Diviners and mediums talk with spirits. To do so, they sit quietly in a place, singing, dancing, and clapping their hands. As they dance, sit, and sing, diviners lose their senses and get possessed by the spirit. The spirits speak and give them messages for individuals and communities. Spirits communicate on issues such as:
- Lost property
- Revealing by name the enemy in the society
- Making demands on the living
- Giving advice
- Giving warnings on impending danger
- Making promises to bless a family or clan. Spirits that possess mediums are not harmful.
There are bad evil spirits harmful to people whom they possess. Some evil spirits cut themselves; others throw themselves into a fire, river, or lake.
Revision Questions
- a) Explain African beliefs about God (or qualities).
- b) Describe the African understanding of the hierarchy of being.
- c) Describe the role of the ancestors to the living.
- d) What was the responsibility of the living towards God?
- e) Describe the Traditional African ways of worshipping God.
