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The Routledge Companion to of Religion

Chad Meister, Paul Copan

African Religions

Publication details https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9780203813010.ch3 Published online on: 20 Sep 2012

How to cite :- Kwasi Wiredu. 20 Sep 2012, African Religions from: The Routledge Companion to Routledge Accessed on: 26 Sep 2021 https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9780203813010.ch3

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The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents be complete or accurate or up to date. The publisher shall not be liable for an loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 20:39 26 Sep 2021; For: 9780203813010, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203813010.ch3 us startwiththebasicessentialsofworldviewentertainedinmost ation. Conceptualissuesaredeeplyimplicatedinthisevolutionofperception.Butlet African peoples now have a reputation for religiosity barely short of spirit-intoxic conception asthatofaSupremeBeingtowhomthecosmosisdue.Notanylonger. Time waswhentheAfricanmindconsideredtooelementaryforsosublime a with thesespirits.EarlierEuropean visitorstoAfricacalledthem‘fetishes’andtheir relations speaking accounts,which are aimedatestablishingorsustaininggood (small ‘g’).Therearemany procedures inAfricanlife,oftencalled‘rituals’English- spiritual swayoverawhole people. Theselatterhavebeencalledlesserdeitiesorgods Some arecultivatedinthe interests ofjustasinglehousehold,butothersmayhave spirits andotherdangers.Thearenumerous, theirpreoccupationsvarious. cations tothesespiritsintheexpectationthatthey will beprotectedagainstevil and foreignstudentsofAfricancultureasobjectsworship. Peopleaddresssuppli- this characterization.Themoreexaltedamongthespirits areseenbybothAfrican andtheextra-humanspiritsofsecondrung ofthehierarchyaccountsfor ’ (Mbiti1990:15).Acertainwayofseeing the relationsbetweenhuman following JohnMbititothesameeffect,characterize entireontologyas‘areligious cance?’ Theconventionalansweris,ineffect,‘Every oneofthem.’Ormight, spirits, and,belowthem,non-humananimals,vegetation, andinanimateobjects. as ourancestors.Thencomesthecategoryofhumanbeings,conceivedembodied objects, suchasremarkabletrees,mountains,orriversandthosethatarethoughtof Especially important among these spirits are those that are associated with physical bad, othersindifferent,with,roughlyspeaking,acorrespondingunevennessofability. some – areanassortmentofspirits,somegood, convenience, letuscallthisbeingGod Supreme .Ofthese,theonesnexttoBeing–forterminological down tothebottomaredirectorindirectoutcomesofcreativeactivity top of which isaSupreme Being. All the beingson lower rungsofthe hierarchy Typically, inAfricanthought,thereisbeliefahierarchyofbeingsandentitiesatthe The obvious AFRICAN RELIGIONS AFRICAN T he A question is, ‘What elements of this ontology have a religious signifi- frican :conceptionsandmisconceptions Kwasi Wiredu 3 partsofAfrica. ­ Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 20:39 26 Sep 2021; For: 9780203813010, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203813010.ch3 is the ancestors inthepursuitofhumanwell-being.InAfricageneralwhatdeathmeans to bethereatsomeplace.Notetheidenticaladverbof spatialityhoinbothcases. of existenceinthesamemanner, almosttotheword.To exist,forthem,istowoho, there, atsomeplace’(1976).TheAkans,aWest Africanpeople,expressthenotion a greatmanyareasofsouthandcentralAfrica,as scientific linguist,existenceisexpressedintheBantu languages, whicharespokenin that inthesethoughtsystemsexistenceisspatial:toexist istobeinspace. African systemofthought.Thefundamentalreasonfor thisconceptualdissonanceis this distinctiondoesnotcoherewiththeconceptualframeworkofanywell-known entity thatbelongstothefirstcategory, tothesecond.Thepointnowisthat body the mostfundamentaldistinctioninDescartes’s ontology. Mind, soul,orspirit is an non-spatial, immaterial, as opposed to extended, spatial, material. This was, perhaps, the Cartesian sense. By this last phrase is meant here an entity that is non-extended, whole taken toconstitutethefoundationofmoralsinAfricanthought. African religion. Nor is that all. The presumed likes and dislikes of the ancestors were African religionscalledthisattitude‘ancestorworship,’andsawitastheessenceof ancestors hasallthemarksofreligiousdevotion.Indeed,earlyforeignstudents living. IntheeyesofagreatmanystudentsAfricanreligions,thisrevering But whethertheyblessorpunish,theancestors,asarule,retainreverenceof known inthecultureandmayrequireremedialservicesofspiritual‘specialists.’ conduct. Punishmentmaytaketheformofillnessresistanttoallbestmedicines conductandpunishbad spiritual qualities:theyarewidelybelievedtorewardgood of mortals.Theirmannerinteractingwiththelivingbetokensthesemoraland but alsoasbeingspossessedofamoralmaturityandspiritualpowersuperiortothat to their of thewell-beingliving. capacity ofanancestor, itdedicatesitselftoasingleobjective,namely, thepromotion and betakesitselftoaterritoryadjacenttheearthorunderneathitwhere,in therefore, thedeathofaperson,bydefinition,hasnoterrors.Itleavesbody of ourenvironmentorarepatronsthereof. arethoughttoresideinvariousparts functionaries ‘fetishpriests.’Manyofthese‘gods’ such asaCartesian spirit,isanullity. What,then,dowehaveinmindwhen meaning or, atleastinconsistency: if toexistis be inspace, anon-spatialentity, thinking. One major consequence is that notions of Cartesian spirituality fail in The consequencesofthespatial conceptionofexistencearewidespreadinAfrican Of equalimportanceinAfricanlifeistheroleofspiritsdeparted According toAlexisKagame,thelateRwandanphilosopher, poet,priest,and Clarifications mustnowbegin. Traditional Africansdo,indeed,believeina Perhaps, theuseof‘it’inreferencetoancestorshereissomewhatanaffront departure of the animating spirit from the bodily frame. Todeparture of the animating spirit from the bodily the spirit itself, host of spirits. But these ‘spirits’ are not conceived of as dignity, for in African discourse they are notonly spoken of as ‘persons,’ KWASI WIREDU KWASI T he 30 liho orbaho,eachofwhichmeans‘is spiritual entities in Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 20:39 26 Sep 2021; For: 9780203813010, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203813010.ch3 to thenakedeyeandareconceivedbeexemptfrom theordinarylawsofmotion. The ancestorsare,intermsofimagery, likemortal persons, but they arenotperceivable nature ofthedescriptionsisconstant.However, thoughconstant,itisnotcomplete. careers thanLittleseemstohavelearnedfromhis‘informants.’ Buttheempirical are morestaidthanthosedescribedbyp’Bitek,andthereisfarlessdetailontheir In thebeliefofsomeAfricanpeoples,suchasAkansWest ,theancestors the quasi-physicallyreconstructed remainsofbo anticipated asaquasi-physical processinwhichCartesiansoulswillbecombinedwith example, areaprivilegedclass ofsuchentities.Again,theresurrectiondead is Christiandiscourseisfullofreferencestosuchentities. Angels,for thought. Orthodox physical sense.Theplaceofthedeadwouldthusbeaquasi-physical environment. considerations thatspiritsareadmissibleinanAfrican ontologyonlyinaquasi- us callthem,forconvenience,quasi-physical.Thenit wouldfollowfromourearlier they arephysicalinimage,butnotsubjecttoallthelaws oftheordinaryworld.Let Mende ofSierraLeone, British anthropologistKenneth Little notesthatintheafterlifeasconceivedby life, aslivedbythem,seemsstrikingtosomeforeignstudentsofAfricanculture.The is theCartesianone. Note that the sense of ‘spirits’in which p’Bitek is denying that theancestors are spirits the ancestorsheldbyhisethnicgroup,LuoofUganda,insiststhat Okot p’Bitek,alsoaphilosopherandcreativewriter, speakingoftheconception inhabitants? Byallaccounts,theyarethoughttobeverymuchlikeourselves.Thus above, somesayitisbesidesourearth;thatbeneathit.What,next,ofits examination oftheAfricanideaafterlife.Consideritslocation.Ashinted ascribe beliefingreatnumbersofspiritstoAfricans?Thiswillemergefromashort persons exempt from the constraints of physical law. Thedifference betweenAfrican The ideaofquasi-physicalentities,letitbenoted, is notpeculiartoAfrican Ontologically, alltheentitiesorforcesreferredtoaboveasspiritsareofthiskind: This similaritybetweentheafterlife,asconceivedbyAfricans,andpresent (Little 1954:116) morphic characterandmuchoftheirearthlytemperamentdisposition. farms, buildingtowns,&c.Italsoseemsthatthespiritsretainananthropo- of thepeopleonearth.Someinformantsdescribedthemascultivatingrice the lifeledbyancestralspiritsseemstobesimilarinmanyrespectsthat the conditionsofthisworldareapparentlycontinuedinhereafter (p’Bitek1971: 104) spirits divorcedfrombodies. They werethoughtofaswholebeings,notdismemberedpartsman,i.e., and ‘enjoyed’ jokesandbeingteased,etc. hungry andcold,‘understood’ voices couldbe‘recognised’astheyspokethroughthediviner, they‘felt’ they werenotspiritsbuttheancestorsasknownbeforedeath;their AFRICAN RELIGIONS AFRICAN 31 dies, longunitedwithearth, toform , and Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 20:39 26 Sep 2021; For: 9780203813010, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203813010.ch3 true thatsome ofthemarereputedtohave extra-humanpowersthat canbetapped understand thatthesebeings areascreaturelyanycreaturewalkingtheearth.It is spirits spokenofinAfrican besidestheancestors.Itshouldbeeasynow to transcend thetransitorylikes anddislikesofparticularancestors. expected toliveby, whentheylived.Thejustificationofthoserulesmusttherefore help inenforcingarethesamerulesthatancestors themselveslivedby, orwere important considerationisthattherulesofconduct theancestorsarebelievedto ancestor isaruler the concernofancestorsislimitedtoaffairs theirlineages.Indeed,ifan morals toAfricansrequiresmorecomment.Whatneeds tobenotedisnotjustthat for ancestorveneration.Buttheascriptionofanancestor-command conceptionof of theancestors.Itshouldalreadybeapparentthatancestor worshipisamisnomer mind isgiventoancestorworship,andthatAfrican derivesfromthewill imagine. worshiped, thatwouldbespeakageneralhankeringafterself-apotheosisdifficultto ancestor induetime.Iftheancestorswereroutinelyseenasgo behavior thataredirectlyrelevanttothefortunesoftheirlineages. are supposedtoengagetheancestors,aswelllivingelders,normsof are nottheenforcersofgeneralmorality. Thatislefttoreason andpersuasion.What and theenforcementoftheirmorals.Thisqualificationisimportant.Theancestors the promotionofwell-beingtheirlivinglineageswhichtheyremainmembers Thus the work of the ancestors looks rather like ‘business as usual,’ the business being salvific eschatologyinAfricanthoughtaboutthepostmortemdestinyofhumankind. IntheAfricancontextpoint isevenclearer.in God. Thereisnosuchthingas John EllisMcT This isillustratedinwesternphilosophybytheexampleofBritishphilosopher the religioussignificanceofafterlife. African afterlifeisofapiecewithitsquasi-physicalityandsuggestsdoubtsregarding depending ona candidate’ world isonlyapreparationforthenext,whichwillbesceneofeternalblissorblight, deep contrastwiththedeliverancesofsome‘world’religionsaccordingtowhichthis well-being oftheliving.Theotherworldisthusathis-worldlyinstitution.Thisin its neglecthasledtoanexaggeratedviewofAfricanreligiosity. perhaps, responsible for the neglect of the underlying distinction. Whatever the cause, paradox inthenotionthatsomespiritsarenotspiritual(inCartesiansense)is, side, spiritsarecountenancedonlyinthequasi-physicalsense.Theslighttouchof ontheChristiansidewhile,African quasi-physical sensesareaccommodated such asChristianteaching,isthatspiritualentitiesinboththeCartesianand ofthoughtinthe traditional thoughtandthatofsomeveryinfluentialmodes West,

Meanwhile, similardoubtsemerge concerningthereligiousstatusofvariety This trendofthoughtmustinduceskepticismregarding thenotionthatAfrican hopestobecomean The ancestors,then,areaspeciesofelders,andeverybody Actually, theideaofanafterlifedoesnot,initself,haveany religiousimplications. As notedearlieron,thewholepointofAfricanafterlifeispursuit aggart (1866–1925),whobothbelievedinimmortalityanddisbelieved , hisconcernsextendtoallthelineagesintownorkingdom. The s meritsor demerits. The contrasting this-worldliness of the KWASI WIREDU KWASI 32 ds andasbeingstobe Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 20:39 26 Sep 2021; For: 9780203813010, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203813010.ch3 approach will bebyexamples,andamost instructiveexampleis thefollowing. a religion. canbe at all vulnerable, they canhardly be made the foundation of can. If the ‘gods’ endupthisway,no more.Thisisnottosaythatallthe‘gods’ butontologically, they all the causes is of death human-made. For example, ifariver dries up, the river ‘god’ still more,thedirectingofscornfulattention,candrainthemallvitality. Norare hecanbekilled.The total withholdingofrespectfromsuch‘go achieving ‘god’; from healthyrespecttosneeringcontempt.’Aworsefatecanovertakeanunder contempt, if theyfail.. andwith aretreatedwith respectiftheydeliverthegoods, latter explains,‘Thegods ‘the generaltendencyistosneeratandridiculethefetishitspriest.’And Busia (1954:205)madethislastpointverycategorically. Theformerremarksthat moral review. Theirefficiencytooisnottakenforgranted.Danquah(1952:6)and to bad‘go with respectandcircumspection,theyarenotveneratedinblindfaith.Thereference as hintedabove,andthepromotionoftheirmoreordinaryinterests. with themaneyetotheirservices.Theseincludeprotectionagainstbadspirits, relations are,infact,waysofestablishinggood worship inconnectionwiththese‘gods’ for thebenefitofhumanbeings.Butproceduresthathavebeencalledritualsand God’s omnipotence consistsinhisabilitytoaccomplishanywell-defined project. been citedthattheSupreme Beingisunabletoaccomplish.Fromthisstandpoint,then, saying, truthsdonotconflict (Nokwaremunniabra).Hencenowell-definedproject has negative. Theallegedprojectinvolvesacontradiction, and, accordingtoacommunal the otherhand,evenat the level of populardiscourse,theAkanresponseis decidedly most Christianphilosopherswouldsayno,some,suchas Descartes,havesaidyes.On creating afigurewhichisatthesametimetriangle andnotatriangle?Although to indicatethathispowersarelimitless.Hecandoall things.Butdoesthisinclude or moresimply, Akan,thewordOtumfuorisusedinreferencetoSupremeBeing Similarity shrinks, however, when we come to omnipotence. In the Akan language, is describedasBrekyirihunuade,andthisstronglyaffirmsthatheknowseverything. between thisattributeandthecorrespondingChristian oneisalsoequallyclear. God first-hand, understanding. account thelanguageofAkans,an African languageof which Ihave a native, This is a deeply conceptual question. To answerit I willtake into particularistic omniscient, omnibenevolent,transcendentcreatoroftheuniverseoutnothing? theomnipotent, here, liketheChristianGod, arises. IsthebeingwearecallingGod But itsinterpretationis complex. The following many-faceted question immediately So whatremainsofAfricanreligions?Theanswerissimple:beliefandtrustinGod. What sortsofprojects,then, areornotconsideredwell-defined?Theeasiest isreasonablyclear That theAkansascribeomnisciencetotheirGod areapproached Of particularimportanceisthefactthat,althoughthese‘gods’ ds,’ for example, should alert one to the fact that the ‘gods’ areopento ds,’ forexample,shouldalertonetothefactthat‘gods’ T he attributesofthe

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. Attitudes to the [gods] dependupon . Attitudestothe[gods] AFRICAN RELIGIONS AFRICAN A frican God:an 33 A kan example their success,and vary . Thesimilarity ds,’ ­ Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 20:39 26 Sep 2021; For: 9780203813010, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203813010.ch3 that itisourwrong-headednessseparatesusfromGod. mightbeinterpretedmorally.now toseparateusfromGod Thentheideawouldbe sible. Inanycase,amoreplausibleinterpretationisavailable. Thedistancethatisheld space, andthereforenottranscendent,buthecouldstill bequasi-physicallyinacces exists,Hewillbein embeddedinAkanandmanyAfricanlanguages. IfGod pretation isnotunavoidable.Noritinconsonancewith thelocativeconceptionof up inaccessiblyhighintheskyandhasremainedthere eversince. movedhimself she poundedplantaintoprepareafavoriteAkandish. In disgustGod woman, hard ofcorrection,keptpelting him with the butt of the pestle withwhich version: invery, very, livedaccessiblycloseaboveus.Butanold ancienttimesGod myth probablysharedbyallAfricanpeoples.HereisasimplifiedformofoneAkan be calledtranscendent.Thecontraryhasbeensupposedonthestrengthofafamous therefore,cannot nothing existentcantranscendspaceandtime.TheAkanGod, and time.InontologiessuchasAfricanones,inwhichtoexistisbespace, even basicintelligibilityistohand.Thetranscendentthatwhichtranscendsspace differences with Omnipotence inauguratesorder;butitcannotdisplaceit. creator createdorder, ,and when anAkanmetaphysicianinquireswhatthecreatorcreated,hisansweristhat metaphysicians responsibleforthedrumtextdiscussedabove.Inanothertext, the latterpresupposesintelligibilityofformer. quotation marks.Iftheideaofsupernaturalisfaulty, then soisthatofnature,since similarly excluded,whichiswhyIhaveencumbered‘nature,’itscomplementary, with conceived asinvolvingtheviolationofalaw‘nature.’Theideasupernaturalis interest tonotethatthisthoughtexcludesthepossibilityofmiracles,ifamiracleis law intheworkingsofphenomena;italsoinsistsonitsindefeasibility. Itmightbeof death. The metaphor– a riddle is a metaphor – doesnotonly affirm theprimacyof death killed him.’ Not even the creator can evade the cosmic of life and consideration rehearsedinthelastparagraph.Itsays,‘Thecreatorcreateddeath,and rendered on‘talking’drums.Onesuchriddle,inmyinterpretation,expressesjustthe yet thisimpliesnodiminutionofhisomnipotence. cannotbesaidtocapableofdoingit,and a well-definedenterprise.Therefore,God sense tosuggestthatitmightneedchanging.Violating alawofnaturethereforeisnot answer isthatsincethelawwasestablishedbyanomniscientbeing,itdoesnotmake Consider thequestionwhetheralawofnaturecanbeviolated.AtleastoneAkan whether he is conceived as theex is By farthemostinteresting issue intheinterpretationofAkanconceptGod This inaccessibilityiswhathasbeeninterpretedastranscendence. Butthisinter On thisaccount,theAkannotionofomnipotencehassomesimilaritiesand Indefeasible lawiswhatdefinescosmicorderfortheAkanmetaphysicianor Some of the deepest metaphysical reflections of the Akans are in the form of riddles Christian doctrine. However, when we come totranscendence, not T he questionofcreation nihilo creatorof the universe. What has already been KWASI WIREDU KWASI death (Danquah 1968: 70).Ordercomesfirst. 34 - - Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 20:39 26 Sep 2021; For: 9780203813010, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203813010.ch3 creation issaid tohavebeguninwhatis now thecityofIle-IfeinNigeria. Theplace of creation.Amostdramatic suchnarrativecomesfromtheYoruba. Inoneversion and conceptualissuesregarding creation.Ithasbeenconcernedalsowithnarratives artistry ofthespider’ Akans areextremelyintriguedbythecreativegeniusof thespiderasevidencedin ‘Hearing’ herestandsfortheunderstandingandSpider forcreativeingenuity. The assumption thatcreationcanbeconceivedonthemo (absolute) nothingness. world. Sucharelativenotioncouldnotpossiblyunderpindoctrineofcreationfrom ization ofnothingnessisintermstheepistemicandotherinterestsbeingsthis informs oftheabsenceanysuchitemsingivenlocation.Thisconceptual some itemsofinterest.Theyare,perhaps,talkingaboutfurniture,andtheremark and thelatterreplies,‘Nothing.’Theconversationwillhavetobeenabout discourse atsomeparticularplace.Supposesomeoneasksanother, ‘Whatisthere?’ here isthatoftherenotbeinganythingthesortdefinedbyagivenuniverse presupposes ‘something’;itpresupposes,infact,awholeworld.Theideaofnothing locative conceptionofexistence.Fromthispremise,wecaneasilyseethat‘nothing’ said suggestsanegativeanswer. Notunexpectedly, thegroundofthisrejectionis so onadinfinitum. or evenfiction,itcoulditselfbemetwitharequestfor thereasonofthatand concerns theoriginofentireuniverse,then,sinceit cannothaveanybasisinfact already presupposestheinterplayoffacts,events,ideas andintentions.Ifthereason It seemstobethefollowing.Amotivatedactionisone withreasons.Butareason isAnanseKokroko,theStupendousSpider.for God Now, then,whatisthemessage? as follows: a locativeconceptionofexistence. (Wiredu 1996:121).Thateitherdisjunctiscontradictorygoeswithoutsaying,given somewhere beforecreatingeverywhereorhewasnowherewhileeverywhere’ elsewhere thatthe‘correspondingcosmogonicparadoxisthis:Eithercreatorwas he wove the bag before getting into it or got into it before weaving it. Ihave argued and paradoxes.Initthecreatorislikeneduntoabagworm,queriedwhether The Africanmind,asshown intheAkaninstance,hasbeenoccupiedwithlogical To returntothetalkingdrums,wehaveadrumtextthattakesaimat Relevant here is anAkan

For theCreatortohavecreatedthings? For theSpidertohavetoldCreator, For HearingtohavetoldtheSpider, Who gavewordtoHearing? Who gaveword? Who gaveword? Who gaveword? s webeffortlesslywoven.Infact,oneoftheAkandescriptions (Danquah 1968:44) aphorism, which,like the drum texts,speaks in riddles AFRICAN RELIGIONS AFRICAN 35 del ofamotivatedaction.Itruns ­ Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 20:39 26 Sep 2021; For: 9780203813010, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203813010.ch3 take up the question of the basis of the distinction itself between good andevil. take upthequestion ofthebasisdistinction itselfbetweengood evil requireevaluationinthe appropriateplace(seeWiredu 1996).Buthereletus a participantinthestruggle toovercome‘physicalpainandevil.’Alltheseideasabout beingomnipotent,he,asthe ‘Nana,’ishimself have supported)isthat,far from God to thewinds,Danquah(1968: 88–9)claimedthattheAkanview(whichheseems to givesthedisease,hecure.But,throwingalltheodicy the sayingthatifGod createdisgoo we have:‘TheHawksays,“AllthatGod (Gyekye 1995:127–8).Beholdafreewilldefense,or, ifyoulike,afreewillexcuse! make onlytherightchoiceswouldbetotakeawaythat incomparablypreciousgift human beingsandgavethemfreedomofchoice.Forhim toguaranteethattheywill created created evil, because it is theresultof the freechoicesof human beings. God 20). Evenmoreinterestingly, cannotbesaidtohave thereistheargumentthatGod thatis,therefractoryones(Busia1965: butonthe‘gods,’ is tobeblamednotonGod, does notgowrong,somethingright.Thereisalsothecontentionthatevil intrinsic to . Closely related to it is the popular Akan saying that if something oriented onejustnoted(Minkus1984:116)totheeffectthatgoo all ofthemarerelatedinsubtleways.Thefirstisidenticalwiththecosmologically been anyconsensusamongAfricanpeoplesortheirthinkers. neither in this nor in any other attempted solution to the problemof evil hasthere one istoblameexceptthespecificperpetratorofaactmischief.However, containing evil?’ It seems to be suggested that if evil is intrinsic to reality, then no who isomnipotent,omniscientandomnibenevolentseemstohavecreatedaworld philosophy iscalledtheproblemofevil.Theis,‘Howitthatacreator is intrinsictotheworldorder. Thisbringsustooneapproach towhatinwestern andevilforces portrayal ofthecosmossuggestsnotionthatinterplaygood One candetectnodoctrineoforiginalsinintraditionalAfricantheology, butthis the consequencesofthisactwillfulness. Dieterlen 1954).Onthisshowing,thehistoryofworldisprocessremedying of , possiblythemostsophisticatedinAfrica,whichworldisresult human foiblesinthecosmologicalprocessitself.ThisisevenmoreglaringDogon a messageofexnihilocreation,itistransparentlydemiurgicmetaphor. the task (Idowu 1962: 22). Contrary to the usual practice of interpreting this story as and fellasleepreinfecta. before allelse,uponsomepalmwine and beingthirsty, he drank ofit,becamedrunk and spray some dry soil upon the area to firm it up for human habitation. Coming, (Olodumare)sentanagentcalledOrisa-nlatogo was thenawaterymarshandGod this sayingis one thatwouldhavewarmedthe the precipitate breaking of a primordial egg by its male component (Griaule and In afavoriteAkanliterarydeviceinwhichwisesayings arecreditedtoanimals, Among theAkansalonequitea few differentproposalsareknown,althoughalmost A remarkableaspectofthisaccountthe‘beginning’isbringingintoplay Then God sentanotheragent,Oduduwa,whoaccomplished Then God T he problemofevil KWASI WIREDU KWASI 36 heart of Leibniz. Closetothisisalso d.’’

’ Thethoughtunderlying d andevilareboth Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 20:39 26 Sep 2021; For: 9780203813010, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203813010.ch3 regard, moremaynotnecessarily meanbetter. superhuman being orpowerprinciplehaving control overhumandestiny. In this religions onlyintheminimal senseofahabitualstatemindlinkedtotheidea a sation intheafterlife.This isenoughtoshowthattraditionalAfricanreligions are to proselytism.Moreover, isnotinexpectationofanyspecialdispen- thetrustinGod and sotherearenodogmas.Inconsequence,intraditionalAfricawasdrive tation. Thereisnothinglikeachurchofwhichonemay ormaynotbeamember, Thismind-setisnotjoinedtoanyinstitutionofGo God. 1962: ch.2;Idowu13;Gyekye1995:7;Wiredu 2001.) And whatwouldbethejusticeofthat?Canabaddestiny bechanged?(SeeAbraham destiniesandothers bad ones? tined, in whatsensearewe free? Are some given good are familiarinothercultures.Forexample,ifeverychoice andactofoursispredes- one concernspredestinationandhumanfreedomorresponsibility. Questionsraised and hisrelationswithhumankindthanwehavementioned.Aparticularlydifficult dislikes. dislikeswhathe this sayingwouldreducetotheunenlighteningtautologythatGod likesandwhathedislikes, andevilaswhatGod dislikes evil.IftheAkansdefinedgood inAkansocietyisthatGo adults. OneofthethingsmostoftensaidaboutGod in termsofthewillauthorities,humanordivine,islefttochildrenandinfantile discussion concerningtherightnessorwrongnessofanaction.Moraljustification Rule. recognizably, thecontrapositiveofwhatinChristiandiscourse iscalledtheGolden it says,‘Ifyoudon’t wantittobedoneyou,don’t doittoothers,’whichis, the supremeprincipleofmoralityrecognizedinAfricansociety. AmongtheAkans based notonthekinshipstandingofotherbutsimplyhishumanity. Thisis it becomesclearalsothatthereisneedforaprincipleharmonizinginterests of thekinshipgroup.Butsinceonedoesnotliveinthisworldwithrelativesalone, a principle of the harmonization of interests to the advantage of allthe individuals interests oftheindividualtothatkinshipgroupandviceversa.This,then,is it becomesclearthattheprincipleofthesesocialrelationsisadjustment of rightscomingtohimastheconversehisobligations.Amidthisreciprocity, mathematically thateachindividualistherecipientofacorrespondingmultitude number of people on grounds of kinship. Since this applies to everybody, it follows bonding meansinpracticeisthatoneunderstandshasobligationstoalarge up todevelopasenseofsolidaritywithlargegroupskithandkin.Whatthis formation inwhichkinshiprelationsareofthelastconsequence.Everyoneisbrought affinities inAfricanattitudestomorality. Africancommunalismisakindofsocial Because ofthecommunalisticcharacterAfricansociety, therearewidespread On theaboveshowing,Africanreligionsbeginandend withbeliefandtrustin The African This lastistheprincipletowhichatraditionalAkanwouldappealinmoral mind has been exercised by more problems about the nature of God A frican communalismandmorality AFRICAN RELIGIONS AFRICAN 37 d-worship ormoralexhor d - Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 20:39 26 Sep 2021; For: 9780203813010, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203813010.ch3 —— (1995)‘OndecolonizingAfrican religions,’inJ.Malherbe(ed.)DecolonizingtheMind:Proceedings of Wiredu, K. (1992) ‘DeathandtheafterlifeinAfricanculture,’K.Wiredu andK.Gyekye(eds)Person Sawyerr, H.(1970)God:AncestororCreator?London:Longman.(AdiscussionbyaSierraLeonianof p’Bitek, O.(1971)AfricanReligionsinWestern Scholarship,Nairobi,:EastAfricanLiteratureBureau. Oladipo, O. (2004) ‘Religion in African culture: someconceptual issues,’ in K. Wiredu (ed.) Mbiti, J.(1970)ConceptsofGodinAfrica,NewYork: Praeger. (Acollection oftheconceptionsGod Idowu, E.B.(1973)AfricanTraditional Religion:ADefinition,Maryknoll,NY: Orbis Books.(Amore —— (2001)‘DeterminismandhumandestinyinanAfricanphilosophy,’ TheHamlineReview25. Wiredu, K.(1996)CulturalUniversalsandParticulars:AnAfricanPerspective,Bloomington,IN:Indiana p’Bitek, O.(1971)ReligionoftheCentralLuo,Nairobi,Kenya:EastAfricanLiteratureBureau. Minkus, H.(1984)‘CausaltheoryinAkwapimAkanphilosophy,’ inR.A.Wright (ed.)AfricanPhilosophy: Mbiti, J.(1990)AfricanReligionsandPhilosophy,2ndedn,London:Heinemann. Little, K.(1954)‘TheMendeinSierraLeone,’C.D.Forde(ed.)AfricanWorlds: Studiesinthe Kagame, A.(1976)‘TheempiricalacceptationoftimeandtheconceptionhistoryinBantuthought,’ Idowu, E.B.(1962)Olodumare:GodinYoruba ,London:Longman. Gyekye, K.(1995)AnEssayonAfricanPhilosophicalThought,2ndedn,Philadelphia:Temple University Griaule, M.andG.Dieterlen(1954)‘TheDogonoftheFrenchSudan,’inC.D.Forde(ed.)African —— (1968)[1944]TheAkanDoctrineofGod:AFragmentGoldCoastEthics Danquah, J.B.(1952)‘ObligationinAkansociety,’ West 8. African Affairs, —— (1965)‘TheAfricanworldview,’ PresenceAfricaine4:16–23. Busia, K.A.(1954)‘TheAshanti,’inC.D.Forde(ed.)AfricanWorlds: StudiesintheCosmologicalIdeasand Abraham, W. E.(1962)TheMindofAfrica,Chicago:UniversityChicagoPress. (Chapter 70). of evil(Chapter42),Phenomenologyreligion67),Religiousexperience Omnipresence (Chapter30),Creationanddivineaction35),Theproblem (Chapter25),Omniscience28),Omnipotence29), tions ofGod See also Christianity (Chapter 6), in religion (Chapter 20), Non-theistic concep- the ColloquiumheldatUNISA, Philosophy. and Community: Ghanaian Philosophical Studies, Washington, DC: Council for Research in Values and being butratheraparticipant,as‘Nana,’ inthestruggleagainstevil.) Danquah’s isnotanomnipotent claiminhisAkanDoctrineofGod(1968)that,fortheAkans, of Africanreligions.) (A classic critique of the transcendentalizing, so to speak, of African religious ideas in western accounts western ones.) to Philosophy,Malden,MA:Blackwell.(CriticismoftheassimilationAfrican religiousconceptsto entertained byagreatmanyAfricanpeoples.) viewofAfricanreligions thanthepresentchapter.)orthodox University Press. An Introduction,3rdedn,Lanham,MD:UniversityofAmericaPress. Cosmological IdeasandSocialValues ofAfricanPeoples,Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress. in L.Gardetetal.(eds)CulturesandTime, Paris:UNESCO. Press. Press. Worlds: StudiesintheCosmologicalIdeasandSocialValues ofAfricanPeoples,Oxford:OxfordUniversity London: FrankCass. Social Values ofAfricanPeoples,Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress. Pretoria: ResearchUnitforAfrican Philosophy. Further reading KWASI WIREDU KWASI References 38 and Religion,2ndedn, A Companion