African Traditional & Diasporic Religion

African Traditional Religion , also referred to as African indigenous religions or African tribal religions, is a term referring to a variety of religions indigenous to the continent of Africa. Like tribal religions from other parts of the world, African religious traditions are defined largely along community lines. Traditional African religions involve teachings, practices, and rituals that lend structure to African native societies. These traditional African religions also play a large part in the cultural understanding and awareness of the people of their communities.

While each religion differs from the next in many ways, some main similarities exist, including: • A distant "all god" with intermediaries acting between us and it • Spirit or god possession • The gift of offerings and sacrifices to the gods • The use of altars • Ancestor veneration/worship • Community leadership by a divine or semi-divine king or queen

One of many examples of an African Traditional Religion would be West African Vodun . Vodun cosmology centers around the vodun, spirits and other elements of divine essence which govern the Earth. Vodun is essentially monotheistic: There is a single divine Creator, called variously Mawu or Nana Buluku, which embodies a dual cosmogenic principle, and of which Mawu, the moon, and Lisa, the sun, are female and male aspects, respectively. (Mawu and Lisa are often portrayed as the twin children of the Creator.) There are a hierarchy of lesser creations, the vodun, which range in power from major deities governing the forces of nature and human society to the spirits of individual streams, trees, and rocks, the more impressive of which may be considered sacred. God does not trifle with the mundane, so the vodun are the center of religious life. (It is often believed that it is these aspects of the religion, similar in many ways to the Trinity and the intercession of saints and angels, which made Vodun so compatible with Christianity, especially Catholicism, in the New World, and produced such strongly syncretistic religions as Haitian Vodou .)

Today over 60 million people practice Vodun worldwide. Religions similar to Vodun can be found in South America where they are called Umbanda, Quimbanda or Candomble.

Today, there are two virtually unrelated forms of the religion: • An actual religion, Vodun, practiced in Benin, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Haiti, Togo and various centers in the US - largely where Haitian refugees have settled. • An evil, imaginary religion, which we will call Voodoo. It has been created for Hollywood movies, complete with violence, bizarre rituals, etc. It does not exist in reality.

African Diasporic Religions are a number of related religions that developed in the Americas among African slaves and their descendants in various countries of the Caribbean Islands and Latin America, as well as parts of the southern United States. They derive from African traditional religions, especially of West and Central Africa, showing similarities to the Yoruba religion in particular.

One of many examples of an African Diasporic Religion is Candomblé . It is a religion based on African beliefs which is particularly popular in Brazil. It is also practiced in other countries, and has as many as two million followers.

• The religion is a mixture of traditional Yoruba, Fon and Bantu beliefs which originated from different regions in Africa. It has also incorporated some aspects of the Catholic faith over time. • A religion which combines elements of many religions is called a syncretic religion. • Enslaved Africans brought their beliefs with them when they were shipped to Brazil during the slave trade. • The name Candomblé means 'dance in honour of the gods'. • Practitioners of Candomblé believe in one all powerful God called Oludumaré who is served by lesser deities. These deities are called orixas . (They can also be called voduns and inkices .) • Candomblé practitioners believe that every person has their own individual orixa which controls his or her destiny and acts as a protector. • Music and dance are important parts of Candomblé ceremonies. Specially choreographed dances are performed by worshippers to enable them to become possessed by the orixas. • There is no concept of good or bad in Candomblé. Each person is only required to fulfill his or her destiny to the fullest, regardless of what that is. • Candomblé is an oral tradition and therefore has no holy scriptures. • The first official temple was founded at the beginning of the 19th century in Salvador, Bahia in Brazil.

The Veve of Aziyan, a symbol for the legendary first Mambo (Priestess) of Vodun, who is honored at every ritual.

References 1) African Traditional Religion - Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_traditional_religion 2) West African Vodun – Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_Vodou 3) African Diasporic Religion – Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_diasporic_religions 4) Religious Tolerance – Vodun – http://www.religioustolerance.org/voodoo.htm 5) BBC Religion & Ethics – Candomblé – http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/candomble/ 6) The Real Voodoo - http://altreligion.about.com/od/africanreligions/a/realvoodooo.htm