THE AFRICAN RELIGIOUS HERITAGE.
As far back as the second century after Christ, Tertullian the African Christian theologist, maintained that the human soul is by nature Christian; in that it seeks a relationship with God. To know God and to know how we were created.
A good example here is that of the concept of God, who is seen as Supreme and One. There are many names of God, many stories and myths about his qualities. Through the ways of describing God and his many qualities may differ from one community to another, the experience behind these different approaches is the same.
Stories and myths told about God express a peoples’ experience of his might, his love for those he created, his anger, his power to forgive. He owns everything and it is to him that we owe life. Also oral literature – the songs, stories, myths and febles of African peoples incorporates their beliefs and values.
Different myths emphasize different aspects of social and individual life, and they illustrate the nature of different kinds of the relationship and the traditional attitudes towards these relationships, and there are also common views which are held in African traditions in general.
African traditional myths are important because they help to show the African traditional views on the hopes and fears that people have about the world in which they live. The people who live near the mountains, for example, have many myths which are connected with life near the mountains, whereas those who live in grassland plains have myths which are connected with life in the plains.
Most African Communities recognize the dependence of human beings on a Supreme God. The power of a Supreme God may be under the direction of the divinity or under many divinities. God is the creator and granter of all things-and there are many similarities in African religious beliefs and practices concerning mans’ relationship to God. For example:
Man must obey the regulations which God has laid down for man to follow;
Failure to obey these regulations leads to punishment:
o Man must offer sacrifices and perform certain ceremonies in order to maintain a good relationship with God;
o If anything goes wrong with the individual, family or society, man must have offended God, and he may set things right by offering sacrifices to God;
o If an individual violates one of the major regulations about mans’ relationship to God, he may be severely punished by the whole society, because he is believed to be endangering the life of the community;
o Irregular natural happenings, such as drought, famine, locust invasions, epidemics and earthquakes are believed to be caused by the disobedience of the society as a whole;
However, there is no community which knows only one aspect of mans relationship to God. All of them show the two forms of relationship – one which indicates the punishment or taboos which people must not violate and another which shows the blessing and the privileges which god has given them.
Man according to the African thought and belief is not an isolated creature. He is only on part of the universe which is full of animals, plants, and inanimate objects. All these components are related to each other in various ways, and all these are dependant on the Supreme God for their appearance and their continued existence. The relationship between man and the things around him are of different categories, depending on the use to which he puts them, and on the beliefs which developed in the criteria myths.
Cattle sheep and goats are used for sacrifices and other religious purposes. All people of Africa have religious practices often binding oaths or purification rites, which involves the use of certain animals. The religious significance of a particular animal or plant may differ from one community to another. Hens and cocks may be used as sacrifices to God or mediators between God and Man, including the ancestors. Burnt offerings are widely considered to be essential.
……..Burnt offerings are considered necessary in establishing communication with God.
In African religious thought generally, heavenly bodies such as sun, moon, and stars tell without words the magnificence of God. The regularly of day and night, and the constant rhythm of the seasons, illustrate the unfailing sustenance of Gods providence.
It s important to note that mountains and hills are not thought to be God. They are manifestation of Gods power and presence. Rivers and streams are often accorded religions significance, especially when they are believed to be dwelling places of spirits.
Huge rocks are also believed to be of religious significance. Some Kamba (a community in eastern Kenya), for example, say that the first couple on earth was brought by God out of a huge rock , which can be seen – to – day. Such rocks are therefore regarded with awe.
Colours are also accorded religious significance, but different colours are sacred for different peoples. Whereas black is a sacred colour to the Luo and Luhya communities in western Kenya, white is sacred to the Buganda community of central Uganda.
In religious ceremonies particular numbers are of special importance to different people. For example, four is sacred number to the Nandi community in Kenya, whereas six is sacred to the Jie, seven was a sacred number to the Jews.
Note that counting people and livestock is forbidden in many African communities. One of the reason for such prohibition is the fear that misfortune might befall those who are pointed at during the counting. Another reason may be that people generally prefer to be considered as members of several units, such as the family, the clan, or age group, rather than as individuals.
All these examples show that African People attach a great deal of religious significance to all the natural phenomena around them, both in the sky and on the surface of the earth. Gods presence is realized in and behind all the aspects of the earth. Gods presence is realized in and behind all the objects and phenomena in mans environment. The invisible world is made manifest or clear, by these physical things. Africans comprehend their inward experience of God through their outward perception of the physical world.
This is one of the most important aspects of the African religious heritage. Africans do not worship physical objects: through them they realize the symbolic manifestation of their inward experience of God. Thus the inward and non-material experience is directly related to the outward and material universe, and the two are inseparable.
African traditional cultures, lifestyles, and attitudes towards life are essentially religious, and this is used to explain his relationship to other men, the environment and to God. First of all, we must realize that many elements of African religious traditions cannot therefore be dismissed as “satanic” or the works of the devil. If the soul seeks to reach God to know Him, then his ultimate goal is not in opposition to Christianity, through which we seek a personal knowledge of God. God is a father of all mankind. The essential message of Christianity cannot be compromised. African cultures, just like European or Asian cultures are subject to the judgment of Christ.
As we study Christianity which has come to African in western “trappings”, we must separate the essential core of belief from Jewish, European even American cultural values. An excessive concern for the individual, for success and for a western style of life are not Christian
We can live by our faith in an African way. Just as Europeans adopted Christianity to their cultures, so can we if we keep pure the essentials. Indeed we can even impart some of our values to a larger body of believers and non-believers. Certainly a respect for elders, a desire to help our neighbors and a view of life as essentially religious are all shared values which may not be obvious to modern living in which many people have come to take its values for granted and even to lose sight of its essentials.
Traditional Healthcare Integration Network {THIN} is working closely with community groups and individuals to analyzing traditional and cultural aspects within our communities so as to add science and validate them for development.
Kenya is a country of cultural societies. It is easy to see that traditional and cultural expressions that are based on the environment are built in the health and illness of our people, and their communities. This is giving THIN a rare opportunity to develop an important but neglected area of community – based health services as well as promoting the cultural bonds that have existed for centuries. It also gives everyone a chance to compare and contrast traditional beliefs, values and practices with those of Christianity. Such an understanding, appreciation and their evolution should enrich our world beliefs, personal communities, sharing of resources stewardship and change of attitudes.
From the onset, THIN was designed to be a people focused organization {especially the rural poor}. THIN fosters harmonization of the economic interests of traditional healthcare practitioners {rural and not well recognized} and the peoples needs by having its activities oriented towards community – based primary healthcare and conservation as well as protection of natural and cultural heritages; assets which must turn over to the next generations. THIN does this by creating models of effective use of natural resources, traditional techniques, folk medicines, semantics and others. THIN is responsive to what the government, international development agencies and partners, local non –governmental {NGOS} and Community - Based Organizations {CBOS}, media and other interested groups see as issues of concern to society, with emphasis on health, food, nutrition, environment, population, poverty, famine. THIN therefore endeavours to promote alternative approaches to sustainable development, best angles of attack and contribution towards self reliance.
Can you join us in our mission? Yes you can. By contributing or giving items.
Indeed you have made a right choice. You will help us sharing the goal of taking an ambitious community-driven education, research-training and development. To make a difference, especially to the poor: to do what it takes to get research results and technologies translated into efficient prevention and control strategies.
DR. ANDREW CHAPYA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CHIEF SCIENTIST
THIN
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