Traditional African Religion
Traditional African Religion
Before one starts to outline the traditional religion in Africa, one must first explain the way Africa is as a whole. Without the knowledge of the past combined with knowledge of culture, one would have a very vague, if any, understanding of traditional religion.
Out of all of the continents, Africa is the most central. It is told that the first man was found in Africa, so with this, many feel that Africa is the birthplace of human culture. Within this continent, there are many different lifestyles, which are lived. Many blame the variety of lifestyles on western influence, but the truth is that different lifestyles began thousands of years before the west had influence on Africa. African's lifestyles revolve mostly around what is called "triple heritage." Triple heritage consists of traditional African beliefs, Islam beliefs, and the beliefs of western cultures. Due to different heritages, the African people speak Swahili, Arabic, and English. Today, the people of Africa have little interest in what is going on outside of Africa.
With three different heritages found in one area, it is rather easy to see why different lifestyles can be found. One of the major differences within these cultures is the argument between being monotheistic or polytheistic. Monotheistic is the belief in one and only one god, while polytheistic is the belief of having multiple gods. For example, some people of Africa worship many aspects of nature believing that a god is in charge of every aspect of nature. Another difference is the role of women. Within traditional African beliefs, the women are full of diversity and very important to the men, while in other cultures, they may not have as much respect. Even within the African beliefs you can find some tribes in which the woman do not receive the respect deserved.
Another matter that must be understood is that of time. The concept of time is a key factor to the interpretation and
Before one starts to outline the traditional religion in Africa, one must first explain the way Africa is as a whole. Without the knowledge of the past combined with knowledge of culture, one would have a very vague, if any, understanding of traditional religion.
Out of all of the continents, Africa is the most central. It is told that the first man was found in Africa, so with this, many feel that Africa is the birthplace of human culture. Within this continent, there are many different lifestyles, which are lived. Many blame the variety of lifestyles on western influence, but the truth is that different lifestyles began thousands of years before the west had influence on Africa. African's lifestyles revolve mostly around what is called "triple heritage." Triple heritage consists of traditional African beliefs, Islam beliefs, and the beliefs of western cultures. Due to different heritages, the African people speak Swahili, Arabic, and English. Today, the people of Africa have little interest in what is going on outside of Africa.
With three different heritages found in one area, it is rather easy to see why different lifestyles can be found. One of the major differences within these cultures is the argument between being monotheistic or polytheistic. Monotheistic is the belief in one and only one god, while polytheistic is the belief of having multiple gods. For example, some people of Africa worship many aspects of nature believing that a god is in charge of every aspect of nature. Another difference is the role of women. Within traditional African beliefs, the women are full of diversity and very important to the men, while in other cultures, they may not have as much respect. Even within the African beliefs you can find some tribes in which the woman do not receive the respect deserved.
Another matter that must be understood is that of time. The concept of time is a key factor to the interpretation and