It is a fact that traditional African dishes may not necessarily suit your foreign taste but it is wrong to classify these dishes as weird. John Mbiti, a prominent Christian theologian from Kenya who helped debunk entrenched ideas that traditional African religions were primitive, giving them equal weight with … Because religion is a way of life, it relates to culture and society as they affect the worldview of the African people. This lack of knowledge as well as understanding of essentials has led to burgeoning of myths on African Traditional Religions (ATR). 2. Still haven’t subscribed to Teen Vogue on YouTube? Voodoo as in Vodu is an African Traditional Religion that requires initiation while Hoodoo is a practice with origins in the southern Black belt. definitions of religion, point out the areas of misconception about African religion and highlight on the problems of establishing the Africanness through African traditional religion. Inter-religious relations, especially, among African Traditional Religion (ATR) worshippers, Muslims and Christians are becoming sources of social tension and violence. 10 Voodoo Isn’t A ‘Real’ Religion. African traditional religion refers to the indigenous or autochthonous religions of the African people. From that point, we will try to solidify our position in defending African Religion with nothing ‗traditional‘ attach to it. Traditional African religion is based on oral traditions, which means that the basic values and way of life are passed from elders to younger generation. Essentially, the religion is seen by non-Africans in terms of what is visible and observable. As ,.;. African traditional religions produced no written works, but derived their authority from oral history, custom and practice, and the power of priests, kings and others gifted in dealing with spiritual issues. 10 Africa is a Country Africa is not a country, but a continent. It deals with their cosmology, ritual practices, symbols, arts, society, and so on. Mbiti regards African Traditional Religion(s) (ATR(s)) as monotheism and as a praeparatio evangelica, and maintains that the Christian God is the same as the God worshipped in ATR(s). This misconception has, in some scholars, matured into prejudice and resilient skepticism about the African’s ability to grasp the concept of God. 10. According to oral literature, the practice of Ifa originated as far back as eight thousand years ago. These developments … Understanding African Traditional Religion. These include:lack of written documents, lack of indebt study of African religion leading to hasty conclusion, prejudice by western scholars who misconceived African traditional religious concept with Christianity and language barriers (Ikenga-Metuh, 1981). It was not imported into Africa neither was it preached to Africans rather 'each person in Africa was born into it, lives it, practices, and is proud to make it his own' (Awolalu and Dopamu, 1979: 28). In the 11th Century a flourishing kingdom we know now as Great Zimbabwewas built in southern Africa. With so many fallacies about Africa in … Haitian Vodou is an African diasporic religion that developed in Haiti between the 16th and 19th centuries. 8 Misconceptions of Various Religions. However, pizzas and sausages are among the many foreign fast foods prepared in Africa. African traditional religions are life-affirming religions. The traditional religions of Africa are human in the deepest sense, because they focus on people and their everyday problems. The scholarly study of African religion began nearly a century ago with the first extensive accounts by anthropologists and missionaries. Nope. Even though our winters do not even compare to that of Europe’s, we do get snow on the mountains, rain storms, floods and thunder. Over the decades, it has passed through several phases, each involving different purposes and points of view. Errors and generalizations like these are rife and perpetuated both by the media and by popular culture. Therefore, Ifa may indeed be the oldest monotheistic religion in the world. Making assumptions about how things are makes no sense. Many traditional African religions are based on guiding principles that are unfathomable to foreigners, more specifically those with interests such as historians and scholars. All of which, could quite easily happen in one day. 9 […] Introduction . A widespread social misconception about Africa is that it is home to uneducated people. These ten misconceptions about Voodoo are prevalent, though they’re hardly the only ones. The Believe In Supreme Deity In African Traditional Religion Mudimbe's Theories on Missionary Discourse in Africa]. It’s a common misconception that Africa has no history beyond its people scrabbling about trying to survive in a harsh environment. Misconception of African Spirituality | African Religion: Rediscovering the Way African spirituality is often pitted against 'mainstream' religions as a culture that promotes mythical and backward teachings. The African traditional West African Traditional Religion is a brief Introduction to the student of African religion. Reading one article about a sundance or sweat lodge fails to share every nuance of these practices across tribes and throughout various geographical locations. African Traditional Religion is traditional because Africans were not converted into it like Christianity or Islam and others. As more information about Native American religion gets shared with people all across the country and around the world, however, those misconceptions begin to break apart. Mudimbe's Theories on Missionary Discourse in Africa]. Even though South Africa has been labelled sunny South Africa, we don’t always provide sunshine. 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Voodoo. There are several misconceptions concerning various religions and people of faith. Last week, in a veiled comparison between African traditional religions and Christianity, which is the major religion in Jamaica, some of the key elements of African traditional religions were discussed using Kenya-born Professor John S. Mbiti, a well-known scholar and researcher of African religions, as the main reference. In fact it is the second largest, and second most populated, continent besides Asia. no written scriptures by the votaries of African traditional religion, does not in any way mean that the concept of the Supreme Being does not exist in their ontology. One never knows when the weather will take a turn in Foreigners usually observe only the externals such … For many Africans and Ghanaians, in particular, it is religion more than anything else that shapes their worldview and participation in social life6. In his latest column, Ceasefire's JJ Bola debunks some of the myths and lies surrounding Western perceptions of many African traditions. Misconceptions about Africa are commonplace in the West. Africa has about 1 billion people and 61 different countries within it. Traditional African religion and culture is passed on from parents to children through stories. books on African religions go, it does not break new ground. The Misconceptions about The Traditional Religion of the Yoruba Culture Ifa is an indigenous, earth centered African spiritual tradition which was conceptualized by the Yoruba people of Nigeria, West Africa. Earlier researchers and missionaries portrayed them often as primitive and barbaric and ridiculed them [I give many examples in my book: White Fathers in Colonial Central Africa - a Critical Examination of V.Y. This lack of scriptures led to the assumption that people in Africa were not capable of ‘proper’ religious observance. African traditional religions in some parts of Africa, have had an elaborate pantheon of divinities. It arose through a process of syncretism between the traditional religions of West Africa and Roman Catholicism.Adherents are known as Vodouists (French: vodouisants) or "servants of the spirits" (Haitian Creole: sèvitè).Vodou focuses on the veneration of deities known as lwa (or loa). Let’s put these common myths to rest. Kofi Johnson Fayetteville State University [email protected]. Through ritual human beings attempt to maintain or reestablish harmonious relations with spiritual beings who control fertility. The traditional religions of Africa are human in the deepest sense, because they focus on people and their everyday problems. There have been widespread misconceptions about the African Traditional Religion (hereinafter ATR). When we speak of African Traditional Religion, we mean the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Africans. So to end this misconception& – Africa is definitely not a country! They seek to insure the fertility and vitality of human beings and of the land on which their own and other creatures' livelihoods depend. to this controversy and misconception. 7 Native American girls debunk the common misconceptions about their culture. Due to the pluralistic nature of African-traditional religions, African spirituality has always been able to adapt to change and allow itself to absorb the wisdom and views of other religions. This is a common misconception. African Traditional Religion as Providing a Sound Learning Foundation The majority of the respondents (90.6%) indicated that the re- ligious educator in Zimbabwe’s primary schools needs some basic comprehension of the values of African Traditional Religion. Earlier researchers and missionaries portrayed them often as primitive and barbaric and ridiculed them [I give many examples in my book: White Fathers in Colonial Central Africa - a Critical Examination of V.Y. But consider the ancient Egyptian monuments, the rock-hewn churches of Ethiopia, the Fes medina, and you obviously have proof of Africa’s rich history. In 2001, George W. 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