By Eghagha Eseoghene
Growing up I was always curious, Christianity made us understand that the only way to God (Heaven) is through Jesus Christ His Son. This had me puzzled for a long time, it still does. To my knowledge Christianity as we know it is about 2000 years old.
What happens to those that did not see or hear the message of Jesus? Will their ignorance grant them eternal redemption? Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism etc. are the followers of these religious groups going to suffer eternal condemnation? There are schools of thought that believe it’s nearly impossible to talk about African Traditional Religion as a single coherent body of belief and practices. This is because of the share size of the continent: numerous ethnic groups and languages.
According to E. Bolaji Idowu,” There is a common African-ness about the total culture and religious beliefs and practices of Africa”.
From this perspective, African Religion is one of the earliest and foremost religions on earth. It has been in existence before the advent of many other religions. It is not as backward and diabolical as it is portrayed in western countries. African Traditional Religion itself is a victim of neo-colonialism and like every other elements of African culture going into extinction. Missionaries referred to ATR as fetishism (Use of a natural or artificial object which is believed to have supernatural power to protect its owner). Show how narrow-minded and naïve they were and still are.
African Traditional Religion is a belief in the existence of an omnipotent and omnipresent Supreme Being/god, with multitudes of subordinate’s deities.( E. B. Idowu, 1976).
One single Supreme Being in who there exist different names due to the diversity in tribe/clan and language/culture. Osanobua, Chukwu, Olodumare, Ohe, Amaxhosa, Akan etc.
A good number of subordinate deities in Africa, in general, belong to a priori order of things. They are believed to have been with the supreme god long before the creation of the world. Under this category are the following: Obatala, Orunmila, Esu, Ogun,(Yoruba context) Amadioha, Anyanwu, Ekwensu, Ikenga (Igbo context) and some others. However, tradition may know them when they used to be on earth in human form. The story of the heavenly origin and the earthly activities of Jesus can be compared to this situation.
Whatever power, any subordinate deity might possess is given to such deity by the Supreme Being. In other words, the deities and spirits do not and cannot occupy the place of the Supreme Being. This is to suggest that all sacrifice/worship, carried out by the Chief Priest, which is channelled through the subordinate deities /spirits, goes to the one Supreme Being who is the sole controller and has the final say.
The chief priest’s apparent ability to discern the unknown ascribes to him the role of conflict resolver. If, for example, some valuable goes missing, the chief priest may be consulted to discern the culprit. The Chief Priest (Dibia, Obabalawo) in African Traditional Religion is responsible for the principal shrine/temple. He offered sacrifices on behalf of the community. It is his role to cleanse the society when an abomination has been committed or when it is perceived the society is going through a difficult time or somebody or spirits have apparently cast a spell on the village.
In the past, the chief priest was an untouchable person. Today as a minority tradition, it has suffered immensely from human rights abuses. This is based on misconceptions that these religions are antithetical to modernity. Indeed indigenous African religions have provided the blueprint for robust conversations and thinking about community relations, interfaith dialogue, civil society, and civil religion. Unlike other religions, African religions have no sacred texts or creed comparable to the Torah, Bible or the Koran.
Their expressions are found in oral traditions, rituals, myths, festivals, symbols and shrines. Majority of people in Africa believe that spirits dwell in the woods, bush, forest, and rivers. Others hold that spirits dwell in mountains, hills, valleys or just around the village and at road junctions. Spirits are in the same environment with men. This means that man has to try in one way or the other to protect himself from the activities of the spirits knowing that the spirits are stronger than him. He uses the various means available to him such as magical powers, sacrifices and offerings to appease, control and change the course of their action.
The primary role of African traditional religion is to provide for human well being in the present, as opposed to offering salvation in a future world. It is very significant, that most Africans who adhere to Islam or Christianity also incorporate elements of indigenous African religion into their daily lives. Most Africans still believe in the power of Jujus to protect them.
Most Christians and Muslims in Africa still consult traditional religious healers when someone is sick, and participate in ceremonies to honor their ancestors. I am therefore of the view that in African traditional religious ontology, God-Supreme Being, divinities and spirits exist and play crucial role in that mode of existence which they belong and on humans on earth.
Embracing spirituality is very essential in our daily lives, first as Africans and humans in this cosmic plane called earth.