Diverse traditional beliefs and practices of African people
Part of a series on
Traditional African religions
Religions
Akan
Baluba
Bantu
Kongo
Zulu
Bushongo
Dinka
Dogon
Efik
Gbe
Hausa
Nubia
Lotuko
Lozi
Lugbara
Luhya
Maasai
Mbuti
Odinala (Igbo)
San
Serer
Tumbuka
Vodun
Waaqeffanna (Oromo)
Yoruba
Doctrines
Divination
African divination
Dogon astronomy (the star Sirius)
Dogon astronomy (Nommo)
Index of African mythology and creation narratives
Philosophy
Serer astronomy (the star Sirius)
Deities
Index of African deities
List of African deities and mythical figures
Sacred places
Bandiagara Escarpment
Benin City
Dahomey
Fatick
Ifẹ
Igbo-Ukwu
Kanem–Bornu
Mount Hombori
Nri-Igbo
Nsukka
Ouidah
Oyo
Point of Sangomar
Sangha
Sangha Ogol Leye
Sine
Sine River
Somb
Tattaguine
Tukar
Yaboyabo
Youga Dogorou
Education
Ndut
Okuyi
Priesthood
Hogon
Houngan
Mambo
Saltigue
Relation with other religions
African diaspora religions
Persecution
Persecution of Dogons
Persecution of Serers
Traditional African religion and other religions
Category
Portal
v
t
e
Local ceremony in Benin featuring a zangbeto.
The beliefs and practices of African people are highly diverse, including various ethnic religions.[1][2] Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural and are passed down from one generation to another through folk tales, songs, and festivals,[3][4][5] and include beliefs in spirits and higher and lower gods, sometimes including a supreme being, as well as the veneration of the dead, and use of magic and traditional African medicine. Most religions can be described as animistic[6][7] with various polytheistic and pantheistic aspects.[1][8] The role of humanity is generally seen as one of harmonizing nature with the supernatural.[1][9]
In the past, African religion used to be referred to as 'traditional' but this is no longer appropriate. 'Traditional' was used to distinguish Africa religion from Abrahamic religion which came to the continent as a result of proselytism. Colonialism supported the false view that Africa had no religion.[10][11]
^ abcEncyclopedia of African Religion (Sage, 2009) Molefi Kete Asante
^Ndlovu, Tommy Matshakayile (1995). Imikhuba lamasiko AmaNdebele. Doris Ndlovu, Bekithemba S. Ncube. Gweru,GasiyaZimbabwe: Mambo Press. ISBN 0-86922-624-X. OCLC 34114180.
^Juergensmeyer, Mark (2006). The Oxford handbook of global religions. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-513798-1. OCLC 64084086.
^Mbiti, John S. (1991). Introduction to African religion. Oxford [England]: Heinemann Educational Books. ISBN 0-435-94002-3. OCLC 24376978.
^Nweke, Kizito Chinedu (2022-12-25). "Responding to new Imageries in African indigenous Spiritualties". Religious: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama dan Lintas Budaya. 6 (3): 271–282. doi:10.15575/rjsalb.v6i3.20246. ISSN 2528-7249. S2CID 255213985.
^Kimmerle, Heinz (2006-04-11). "The world of spirits and the respect for nature: towards a new appreciation of animism". The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa. 2 (2): 15. doi:10.4102/td.v2i2.277. ISSN 2415-2005.
^Vontress, Clemmont E. (2005), "Animism: Foundation of Traditional Healing in Sub-Saharan Africa", Integrating Traditional Healing Practices into Counseling and Psychotherapy, SAGE Publications, Inc., pp. 124–137, doi:10.4135/9781452231648, ISBN 9780761930471, retrieved 2019-10-31
^An African Story BBC Archived November 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
^What is religion? An African understanding Archived May 21, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
^Achebe, C. (1958). Things Fall Apart. London: Heinemann.
^Mbiti, J. S. (1969). African religions and philosophy. Johannesburg: Heinemann.
and 30 Related for: Traditional African religions information
Islam, African people often combine the practice of their traditional beliefs with the practice of Abrahamic religions. These two Abrahamic religions are...
conquests displaced traditionalAfricanreligions either by conversion or conquest. TraditionalAfricanreligions have influenced Islam in Africa, and Islam is...
adherents of Christianity, Islam, and to a lesser extent several traditionalAfricanreligions. In Christian or Islamic communities, religious beliefs are...
the Supreme Creator. Similar to some other Bantu religions, Adherents of Zulu traditionalreligion believe in honoring ancestors (Amadlozi). Unkulunkulu...
from traditionalAfricanreligions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam. Afro-American religions involve...
TraditionalAfricanreligions have shared notable relationships with other religions, cultures, and traditions. Throughout the history, they are often...
well as members of traditionalreligions with few Muslim converts. Nigeria is officially a secular state with no official state religion. Article 10 of the...
population (mainly in the far south and southwest) follow traditionalreligions; other religions (the Baháʼí Faith, Judaism, etc.) make up the remaining...
well as deities found within the African religions—which is mostly derived from traditionalAfricanreligions. Additionally, prominent mythic figures including...
Kenya are Baháʼí, Buddhism, Hinduism and traditionalreligions. Kenya is a secular state and freedom of religion is enshrined in the nation's constitution...
Hinduism. It is suggested that most ancient traditionalAfricanreligions, like most other indigenous folk religions around the world, were strictly polytheistic...
Christianity, Islam, AfricanTraditionalReligion, or a combination of all of these. Among the most practiced AfricanTraditionalReligions in Benin is the...
and evolved into the current forms of religions with similar names that are found in the New World among the African diaspora in the Americas, such as Surinamese...
TraditionalAfrican masks are worn in ceremonies and rituals across West, Central, and Southern Africa. They are used in events such as harvest celebrations...
undercurrents (folk religions) of major religions. Includes traditionalAfricanreligions, Asian shamanism, Native American religions, Austronesian and...
Christian, 0.3% is animist and 2.8% have no religion. Ancestors play an important role in Chadian classical religions. They are thought to span the gap between...
coastal nations of Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast. TraditionalAfricanreligions (noting the many different belief systems) are the oldest belief...
which respects freedom of religion. The reported estimated relative proportions of adherents of traditionalAfricanreligions and Christianity have varied...
The traditional Berber religion is the ancient and native set of beliefs and deities adhered to by the Berbers. Many ancient Berber beliefs were developed...
ethnic religions as a means of maintaining a distinct ethnic identity such as the role of Africantraditionalreligion and African diaspora religions among...
elements of the religion to form Haitian Vodou and other African diasporic religions. West African Vodun TraditionalAfricanreligion portal Akyeampong...
population follow traditionalreligions only; however, in 2009, more people practiced traditional religious practices along with other religions such as Christianity...
diversity of the country's population. A diverse variety of AfricanTraditionalReligions of the early Khoisan and later Bantu speakers were practiced...
recent surveys. Traditionalreligions and non-religious individuals have seen greater declines. Christian denominations include Baptist, African Methodist Episcopal...
so the religion varies greatly by region and subgroup. Similar to other traditionalreligions of West and Central Africa such as West African Vodun, Yoruba...
The remaining 5% follow other non-Christian religions (Muslims, Baháʼís, Jews, and indigenous religions). According to the 2020 Report on International...
practitioners of other religions in the country. Much of the population, both Muslim and Christian, also incorporate indigenous African beliefs into their...
Global Information
