African Religion

It is fairly obvious that African religion plays a significant role in forming the individuality of African civilization and society nowadays. Thus far, this practice keeps on suffering from shortage of recognition and derisory perception of its major canons and real meaning. The two monotheistic religions, Islam and Christianity, to which the majority of Africans have converted during the last century, have created a intimidating approach to this tradition; Islam downgrades it to al-Jahilliyya, the era of barbarism, and Christianity considers it to be pure paganism.

Among academics that have researched African religions, the relative or religio-phenomenological method has been principal. A lot of anthropologists, in contrast, have chosen to research African religions in a more restricted civilizing framework. The major position among academics of religion appears to be that religion must be believed to be a phenomenon sui generis. Having the "intrinsic value" of religion in mind, they dispute that, technically, it is rightful to research religion independently from its cultural context.

The major stress in the African religion can be discovered in their traditional religions, which have much similarity with post-modern period outlook. This important progress should not be unnoticed, and it is fitting to make specific concentration on it in this framework.

According to traditional African religion, individuality gets the uppermost precedence, and individuality presumes relationships. One of the major reasons for the subsistence of so many native autonomous churches in Africa is that they are alternates for the customary close family relationships in circumstances where these relationships are battered as a consequence of the quick secularization procedures. Humanity in Africa is essentially family, principally society, with a sturdy stress on the traditional religion and its natural link to ancestors and religious creatures in the metaphysical world. In the customary religious context, all the actions from birth to death and afterward unite the human as a collective being to everyone around themselves, particularly those who have transferred to the metaphysical world and those still to be born. The sacrificial food is figurative, stressing that the family/society has been united with the ancestors. Those who expire go into a state of communal "immortality" and can be propitiated during sacrificial procedures made to them. In customary African religion, ontological harmony is of principal significance. The ontology of traditional Africa is chiefly anthropocentric. The human is the core of life - not as a personality, but as family, as society. According to this outlook, the majority of the original churches are at the same time profit organizations.

The crucial feature of the African religion of blacks and of the Bantu especially is in the link between religion and every day life. Religion for Africans is not a theoretical belief, nor even a set of such values, but a leaven which forces these values work, crucially implicated as they are with the sacred commandments and rituals which provide external expression to this energy.

Therefore, the potential of African religion is not in any way challenging for our generation. African religion has its place and plays its role at every level of African society. If we wish for creating an integrated and reasonable culture we have to offer Africa an ability of staying true to herself and to build up her society and customary culture in a contemporary spirit. Religion should be offered the first place and must be placed as the basis and the pinnacle of the civilizing structure of the whole black Africa.