Article
There is a lot to learn about African traditional
religions, and a lot of interesting facts to explore. Jumia Travel, the leading
online travel agency, shares six interesting facts about African Traditional Religions.
It’s highly dynamic
African traditional religions are not static but very
dynamic, largely because they are constantly reacting to various shifting
influences such as old age, modernity and technological advances.
They are based more on lived
traditions
African traditional religions are not so much based on
faith as they are based on lived traditions. This is seen in the fact that they
are more concerned with rituals, ceremonies and lived practices, than they are
with doctrines and belief systems.
Concerns for health, wealth and
procreation are central to the core of African religions
It is because of this core concern that African
traditional religions develop institutions for healing, commerce and general
well-being of their own practitioners, as well as adherents of other religions.
It’s not based on conversion
A practitioner of African traditional religion is
unlikely to attempt to convert a non-practitioner into his/her religious
beliefs and practices. They simply believe in living their faith and attempting
a peaceful coexistence with others who are of differing religious traditions
that live among them.
Women play key roles in this
religions
African traditional religions have very profound
internal gender relations and dynamics. Women, as well as men, play key roles
in African religions as there many female goddesses, priestesses, diviners and
other figures revered in African religious traditions and practices. The
reverence of women, as well as men, in African traditional religions is so
profound, that many feminist scholars have used these traditions as reference
points to advocate for the rights of women in African societies. For indigenous
African religions, the role of gender is complementary in such a way that a
‘confluence of male and female forces must operate in harmony’.
It provides strong linkages
between the life of humans and the world of ancestors
As a result of these strong linkages, African
religions provide a platform for humans to maintain constant and symbiotic
relationships with their ancestors. These ancestors are understood to be
intimately concerned and involved in their descendants’ everyday affairs.
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