Africa is a continent that has long been cloaked in a shroud of misunderstanding and stigma. The general misconceptions about Africans are widespread and attack nearly every aspect of African culture and societies including religion. The stigma placed on the pagan beliefs and religions that are intrinsic to African cultures has in my opinion, left the continent devoid of one of the factors that adds to its ?mystical allure.?
Adequately defining African religions in their totality would be an arduous task with results riddled with error. Nonetheless, if I had to give a grossly general definition, I would say that ancient African religious beliefs are complex, intricately developed systems that gracefully intertwine the values of a people, with a love for the land and ancestors. Though African religions vary greatly by region, country, and even within the same ethnic groups, there are some concepts that remain constant. Many African religions focus on perpetuating the well being of a people through the appeasement of a deity, a group of ancestors or the land. This appeasement often involves systems of ritual and sacrificial practices. Another common strand is the interrelatedness of religion and government. In many religions, the ruler or figurehead is viewed as the link between the people and the supernatural entities of that religion and are revered as spiritual custodians. Though they differ greatly in the particulars of their rituals, beliefs and mythology, African religions are deeply rooted in ancestral worship, great concern for the land that is inhabited and spiritualism. There is an undeniable beauty in the dynamic mystery of African religions that is displayed in folklore, music, art, dance and other characteristic components of African cultures. Contemporary African cultures exist with a conspicuous imprint of ancient religions and practices.
Despite this, the arrival of foreign religions and recent film propaganda has cast a dark shadow over indigenous religions. Because of the fact that indigenous religions tend to be rooted in spiritualism, ritual and sacrifice, they have been made to seem malicious, satanic and evil. The beliefs that once governed the lives of a people are now detested and regarded as taboo my most. This makes me wonder if an amicable balance can be found.
Can foreign religions such as Christianity be practiced while maintaining the values of past religions? Can the stigma of ancestral worship be lifted? Can it instead be replaced with pride in a charismatic and mystical past? And more importantly, why must such a vital fragment of history be regarded as evil? With the progression of time comes new concepts which are developed and adopted, but I believe the test of a dynamic society is its ability to embrace innovation while keeping the successes of the past on a pedestal. In my opinion the key to finding a healthy balance is finding a pride in the past.
-Joy Otibu
Tagged: africa, african religions, christianity, religionjr smith chris anderson rondo suspended bay bridge raul ibanez downton abbey season 3 presidents day
After a few weeks of putting it off, I listened to Third, my first Soft Machine album. These guys have taken jazz fusion and canterbury, fused them together, and contorted, twisted, and bent them into this wild hot pot of psychedellic jazz (I'm getting very creative on the adjetives this time). The 80 minutes that I spent with the album were very exciting and interesting. My only grief with the album is the third track, "Moon in June", the only album with vocals, which are delivered by the band's drummer, Robert Wyatt. Now, he has a fine voice, and I enjoyed his preformance, however, it completely threw me off. It just seemed out of place. But, anyway, great album. If you like jazz fusion and/or psychedellic rock, I'd give it a listen. 3.5/5