Table of Contents

Introduction...............................................................................................................................................1
The belief in God/gods...............................................................................................................................2
Religious practices, ceremonies, and festivals.........................................................................................3
Existence of spirits.....................................................................................................................................3
Beliefs in death and life after death..........................................................................................................3
Religious objects and places......................................................................................................................4
Worship and religious leaders..................................................................................................................4
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................5
Bibliography..............................................................................................................................................6

i
Introduction
Religion is one of the most important aspects of human life as a whole. We can literally say that
the human way of life without religion can no longer be the same, this is to mean that religion
has more influence on society. It is through religion that we come to understand the meaning and
purpose of life. Etymologically, Religion is derived from the Latin word Religare, which means
to bind back or to bind together. From the etymology of the term we see that, it has the force of
binding together. However, religion is very complex and this brings in the fact that it is hard to
have one common definition of religion. A lot of scholars have tried to define what religion is
but it has been hard to come to a fully accepted common definition. This is because some
elements of religion differ from place to place and what some people believe to be part of their
religion, other people may not conquer it.

However, to speak about African traditional religion, we need first of all to go back to what
Mbiti had said about the African heritage in his book ‘An Introduction to African Traditional
Religion.’ In chapter one of the above book, Mbiti had this to say; ‘Africa has a very rich
heritage of what generations of African peoples thought, did, experienced, and passed on to their
children. This heritage forms a long line that links African forefathers with their descendants
who now feel proud of it. A study of such heritage makes it possible to see and understand
something of the people who lived not only a short while ago, but several hundred’s or thousand
years ago.’ We must also take into consideration the fact that the African heritage is rich, but it is
not uniform. It has similarities, but there are also differences from time to time, from place to
place, and from people to people. Religion is by far the richest part of African heritage. It has
dominated the thinking of African peoples to such an extent that it has shaped their culture,
social life, political organizations, and economic activities. We can say that religion is, therefore,
closely bound up with the traditional way of African life, while at the same time, this way of life
has shaped religion as well.

From the paragraphs above, we see that African people used to have different beliefs and views
according to their place and period of time. Therefore, African traditional religion does not
consist of each and every religious belief that is associated with small groupings of Africans, but
it consists of the common shared religious views, beliefs, and practices of the African people in
general. The following are some of the elements of the African traditional religion; beliefs in

1
God/gods, existence of spirits, religious rituals/practices, festivals, and ceremonies, belief in
death and life after death, religious objects and places, worship and religious leaders, and finally
values and morals. These elements are what make African traditional religion and therefore we
should note that one element is not religion itself they all connect together to form the African
traditional religion.

The belief in God/gods

Traditional African people had a belief in the creator of the universe who is god. The concept of
god is very central in the African traditional way of living. Though it is difficult to trace its
origin in the African way of understanding, but rather we only know that it is a very ancient
belief in African religious life. We can actually say that, maybe people came to believe in God
through the reflection on the universe, maybe through also the realization of their own
limitations and through the observation of the forces of nature. Furthermore, we can say that
Africans are rich in their ideas about God, this is because Africans have a lot of names for God.
Some names are personal and mean only God, and others are descriptive, that is, they describe
something about him. These names show us clearly that African people are very familiar with the
belief in God, and that over the years they have formulated certain ideas about God. Some of the
names like Chiuta, Leza, Jok, Mulungu, Nyame, Nzambi, and others are commonly used in
several African languages. This suggests that a long time ago, before the language became
separated the names of God were already being used, and the belief in God had already become a
major feature of African thinking and life. In every African language and people, there is at least
one personal name for God and more descriptive names for God

For instance, in the Eastern part of Nigeria, God is known as either Chukwu or Chineke, which
means “the big God” or “the God who creates,” respectively. The Akan people of Ghana call
Him Onyame to confirm their belief in this Supreme Being. The Mendes of Sierra Leone call
him Ngewo, which means “Creator of the universe” as well as “Father.” 1 From my country
Zambia, the Bembas call Him “Mulengi” which means “the Creator” and from my tribe Soli we
call Him “Lesa” which means “the Almighty.” All these are to show that in African traditional
religion, there is a belief in God.

1
Amponsh kwabena, topics in West African traditional religion, vol.1 (Accra: McGraw Feb, 1974), 20.

2
Religious practices, ceremonies, and festivals
In each and every religion, practices, ceremonies, and festivals are very important, because they
show how people express their beliefs in practical terms. They include things like praying,
making sacrifices and offerings, performing ceremonies and rituals, observing various customs,
and so on. By festivals, we mean joyful occasions when people sing, dance, eat, and celebrate a
particular occasion or event. We can see this also in the African cultural practices where magic
and medicine are practiced. Magic and Medicine could either be used in their destructive or
protective forms. Protective forms are used to avert illness or calamities for the individual or
communities; destructive forms are used to cause individual misfortune or communal calamities. 2

Existence of spirits
Spirits are an important aspect of African traditional religion, they are believed to be the source
of mystical, invisible, and hidden power in the universe. They can be divided into non-human
spirits and the spirits of the ancestors. They can also serve as the intermediaries between humans
and the Supreme Deity, who is the origin of all powers. Nature of Spirits: Spirits are nondescript,
immortal, and invisible entities. This is because they do not possess a material body through
which they can be seen, but they may incarnate into any material thing in order to make
themselves seen for any reason or purpose. For instance, the spirits may be found in the rocks,
mountains, rivers, trees, bushes, waterways, and among others. People have however
experienced their activities and many folk stories in Africa tell of spirits described in human
form, activities, and personalities, though sometimes, these descriptions are exaggerations
created by the elders to teach special lessons. Since they are invisible, these spirits are thought to
be ubiquitous, so that a person is never sure where they are or are not. 3 Therefore, Africans have
great respect for the spirits because through them they seek protection and they also
communicate with them whenever it is necessary.

Beliefs in death and life after death

African people have a great care for human life, we see this through the celebration of marriages
and newborn children. This takes us to the fact that birth is one of the great events in the life of
each and every person, but another great event in the life of a person is death. In some African
societies, death is something that is celebrated more especially for the people who are believed to

2
Ibid., 83.
3
Mbiti, John S. African Religions and Philosophy. (London: Heinemann, 1969), 79.

3
have lived a good life. This is because the spirit of the good people will always have an impact
on the lives of the people and the community. This brings about the aspect of the ancestors, they
are neither Deity nor divinities; they are, however, the dead members of the community known
as “the living dead”-and are believed to exist in communion with their living loved ones. 4 The
ancestors are regarded as heads of their respective families or communities, with death as just a
continuation of ancestors and their services, but now in the life after. Those qualified to become
ancestors must have lived to ripe old ages, lived godly lives, and must have had children. Indeed,
where the ancestors live permanently is the “paradise” or “heaven”, which is the ream of the
spirits and which the average African longs for when he or she dies. Therefore, we have seen that
Africans have a belief in death and in the life after death, and this life after death is enjoyed
through the state of an ancestor for those who have lived a godly life.5

Religious objects and places

In African traditional religion, we find also the use of some religious objects and places which
are believed to be set apart by the people as being sacred. They are not commonly used except
for a particular religious purpose. Some are made, like shrines, amulets, and talismans, and
others are taken in their natural form (rivers, mountains, and groves) and set apart for religious
purposes. Some shrines belong to a family, such as those connected with the departed members
of the family or their graves. Others belong to the community and these are often in groves,
rocks, caves, hills, mountains, under certain trees, and similar places. People respect such places,
and in some societies, no bird, animal, or human being may be killed if it or she is hiding in such
places.

Worship and religious leaders

Worship is one of the important aspect of religion, just like any other religion African traditional
religion have an aspect of worship. We see this through both individual and communal prayer,
singing of religious songs, reverence during ritual performances and so on. Another aspect is that
of the religious officials or leaders. These are the people who conduct religious matters such as
ceremonies sacrifices, formal prayers, and divination. In many cases, they are trained men and
women. They know more about religious affairs than other people and are respected by the

4
Elisha O. Babalola, Traditional Religion: Islam and Christianity-Patterns of Interaction (Ile-Ife: Olajide Printing
Works, 1992), 24, 25.
5
Ibid., 27.

4
community. They hold offices as rain-makers, ritual elders, diviners, medicine men, and even as
kings and rulers. These officials may or may not be paid for their duties, but in most cases,
people give them presents and gifts to show their gratitude. Without them, religious activities
would neither survive nor function properly and much of the religious wisdom of the people
would be forgotten. They are specialists in religious matters; they are the human keeper of the
religious heritage, for there is written official religious documents or scriptures. They themselves
also act as the record keepers.

Conclusion
The African traditional religion, like any other religion, cannot be fully grasped without its
elements. Just like it is hard to define religion in general, and so it is hard to speak about an
African traditional religion that includes each and every religious belief in all African societies or
communities. We have seen that it's an African traditional religion because it consists of all the
common religious practices and beliefs of all African communities. It is the combination of all
the elements together without neglecting even one for they are like the body parts. This simply
means that just one, two, or three elements alone may not fully qualify to be called a religion, but
all together do. It is an African traditional religion because it is found within the context of
African people. It is part and parcel of African people for it is also part of their heritage,
therefore, a true African must treasure this religion for it can never be separated from him or her.

5
Bibliography
Fortes, Meyer. and Dieterlen, Germaine., eds. African System of Thought. London: Oxford

University Press, 1965.

Idowu, Bolaji. E. African Traditional Religion. London: SCM Press, 1973.

Mbiti, John. S. An Introduction to African Traditional Religion. London: Heinemann, 1975.

Mbiti, John. S. Concept of God in Africa. SPCK, New York: London and Praeger, 1970.

Electronic sources

https://lausanne.org/content/west-african-case-study

https://www.google.com/search?q=african+traditional+religion