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Introduction
Africans have diverse traditional beliefs and practices that involve ethnic religions. Traditions are passed from one generation to the other through festivals, songs, and folk tales. Cultural practices signify the belief in a higher power, such as gods, veneration of the dead, a supreme power, and the use of traditional African medicine. Most African religions are animistic; thus, tutelary deities are worshiped. African traditional beliefs vary from one culture to the other in terms of burial ceremonies and religious practices. Although worshiping a supreme being is common in many communities, diviners, sorcerers, and mediums are identified as intermediaries. This paper will discuss the tenets of traditional African religions, such as supernatural beliefs, the spirit world, ancestral worship, and life after death.
Traditional African Religions
Ancestor worship involves rituals that commemorate the spirits of forefathers. The practice goes beyond religious traditions, socioeconomic groups, and geographic regions. Ancestors are regarded as the protectors of a family and a community. Some ancestral spirits are considered good, while others are feared for being evil. Sacrifices are frequently offered to evil ancestors to keep them away. Animals used during sacrifices include chickens, turtles, fowls, goats, sheep, and sometimes human sacrifices. Offerings are also made during childbirth to protect the child, during marriage to ensure a lasting relationship, and during farming to secure good crops. Sacrifices are made by the graves of former kings who have died so that they can help during times of war. In Dahomey, kings and members of the upper class set human skulls in their homes, and they ask for advice and assistance from them (Ekpatt, 2021). The Yoruba tribe worships male and female ancestors in their homes. They bury the dead in their houses to enhance their beliefs, ask for advice in times of crisis, and to feel protected (Ekpatt, 2021). Ancestral spirits are also sorted after for the wealth of future descendants.
A common belief in the African community is that life does not end after death but continues in another sphere. Death is viewed in two aspects: a penalty for sin caused by evil spirits and the desired experience that helps a person transcend into a higher realm of the ancestors. The occurrence of death is believed to have been caused by external forces like evil spirits and witches, people, and a particular animal. Other people also believe that death is a passage to the afterlife. Death is considered a continuation of life because a person transcends to another realm. Several rites of passage throughout the life cycle, such as marking a person’s transition from one life to another, illustrate the celebration of life after death.
A person who died after living a good life is said to have become an ancestor. However, when an evil person dies, they will not be reincarnated or named after, thus distorting the cycle of life. The Yoruba believe that when a person has not been properly buried or has unfinished business, they may be reborn to fulfill their intended purpose (Ekpatt, 2021). Children born after the death of a close relative are named after them. Certain practices are taken to prepare a diseased person for life after death. For example, a Bantu ethnic group in Kenya called the Abaluya buries the dead while naked to prepare them for rebirth (Ekpatt, 2021). Individuals who are not buried correctly are believed to be wandering while causing havoc. The African tradition reveals that a person’s life will determine the punishment received and the way of burial. This belief helps people act in the right way because of the fear of the consequences.
The spirit world is a realm where souls can dwell. Spirits are believed to control powerful natural phenomena in the natural world. Each soul that enters the spirit world progresses from the lowest realm (Hell) to the highest realm (Heaven). Flying spirits can take the physical form of insects and inhabit the world to offer protection. Diseased ancestors are the most common spirits present in the living community. Both evil and good spirits inhabit the spirit world. Mediumship can lead to interaction between the spirit and natural worlds. The spirit world is a home for souls and a dwelling place for ancestors to look over the community.
Most African countries believe in supernatural powers such as witchcraft, fetishism, and black magic. There are two main religions; monotheistic religion and centralized religion. The monotheistic religion believes in God as a supreme being. The belief is widespread and leads to the cooperation of a community. The centralized religion believes in diviners, sorcery, ancestral powers, fetishes, and the use of amulets. Individuals facing economic and social difficulties, the death of a loved one, and experiences that may have caused adverse shock are more likely to dive into supernatural practices such as witchcraft. Paranormal forces can be used to correct bad behavior by informing individuals harm will be inflicted if they do not cooperate. Centralized religions can also bring about cooperation and good behavior through preaching about heaven and hell.
The Yoruba community believes in two planes; the visible plane, inhabited by humans and animals, and the invisible plane, inhabited by God, ancestors, and deities. The community believes that God is the source of ethical and moral values, a father to his children, and a protector of all humans (Ekpatt, 2021). Apart from believing in the supreme being, the Yoruba people believe in divinities who act as intermediaries between them and God (Ekpatt, 2021). The divinities are identified as guardians of morality, and they cause misfortune to disobedient people. Ancestors are also sorted after to guide tribal norms, societal ethics, and family affairs. The Yoruba tribe recognizes God as a supreme being and uses diviners to reach out to him while incorporating supernatural powers for assistance and protection.
Conclusion
The basic tenets of traditional African beliefs are ancestral worship, the spirit world, supernatural beliefs, and the afterlife. Sacrifices are offered to ancestors so that they can provide assistance and protection. Ancestors are also believed to assist in marriages and farming. The ancestors dwell in the spirit world, considered the home for souls. Evil spirits wonder in the natural world if they are not appropriately buried or if they have unfinished business; thus, they can cause havoc. The African communities believe that a person lives on after death. An individual is reborn through a child born or a person who can become an ancestor in the spirit world, thus offering advice to the living. Supernatural powers such as the supreme being, witches, diviners, mediums, and evil spirits are believed to be in existence. People can decide to do good if they know supernatural beings will punish them if they wrong anyone. Supernatural beliefs guide the general behavior of a person.
Reference
Ekpatt, A. O. (2021). Concepts of God, divinities, ancestors, and spirits in African traditional religious thought: Conceptual analysis. In Phenomenological approaches to religion and spirituality (pp. 18-43). IGI Global.
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