African Traditional Religion A DEFINITION E Bolaji Idowu This is a book about African religion by an African, written out of years of experience in the study of African traditional religion, gathered through research, teaching, seminars and discussions. It is a controversial book, and takes issue with many assumptions made by earlier writers on the subject. It is an academic book, written from a university setting, with high scholarly competence. But it is also a book written with passion. There are African scholars and men of faith, Professor Idowu argues, who are finding the prefabricated theology imported into Africa inadequate for her spiritual and academic needs. These are now strong advocates and promoters of the theology which bears the stamp of the original thinking and meditation of Africans. Only if there is understanding of the way in which African spiritual values are apprehended by the African mind is discussion and communication with other religious beliefs possible. After an introductory section on the nature of religion, Professor Idowu outlines the history of the study of African traditional religion; the bulk of the book is made up of two long chapters decribing the nature and the structure of African traditional religion. A concluding section summarizes the significance and relevance of the study. E. Bọlaji Idowu is Professor of Religious Studies in the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. £3-25 net E. BOLAJI IDOWU AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION A Definition SCM PRESS LTD 334 00028 9 First Published 1973 by SCM Press Ltd 56 Bloomsbury Street London (© SCM Press Ltd 1973 Printed in Great Britain by Northumberland Press Limited Gateshead For My Beloved Wife YEWANDE Contents Preface The Study of Religion IT Religion 1. The etymological connotation 2. The origin of religion 3. Revelation 4. A definition of religion HI The Study of African Traditional Religion Natural difficulties besetting the study = Sources p Stages hitherto in the study y African traditional religion? b The aim of the study W IV The Nature of African Traditional Religion 1. Errors of terminology: Primitive — savage — native — tribe — paganism — heathenism — idolatry — fetishism — animism 2. What term to use The Structure of African Traditional Religion 1. Belief in God 2. Belief in the divinities 3. Belief in spirits 4. Belief in the ancestors 5. The practice of magic and medicine VI The Prospect of African Traditional Religion Notes Index Preface Do not be misled by the title of this book. Its purpose is emphasized by the sub-title. It is a book which results from years of experience in the study of African traditional religion — experience gathered through research, teaching, seminars, and discussions, at home and abroad. It is a book which has come forth when the time has ‘fully come’. There are several factors which call for it. First, for several reasons, attention is being focussed on Africa and a special interest has been aroused in what is generally described in the academic world as African Studies. Even though in most places this discipline is still to be defined clearly, it already has a place in the curriculum of many universities in Europe and America. And the indigenous religion of Africa is being mentioned as an element in the studies. It has, therefore, become quite clear to those of us who are experienced in the field of African traditional religion that, in the circumstances, the right technical tools are needed for dealing with the religion by way of research, teaching, and learning with understanding. Over the years, it has been noticed that the first difficulty with which the world outside Africa has to grapple is what to make of the indigenous religion. That world still has to be convinced that there is an indigenous religion of Africa and that, by right, it deserves the name of religion. Those who are organizing societies and con- gresses or conferences with particular reference to the history, or even the phenomenology, of religion have always regarded African traditional religion as of little account, except where they choose to deal with it as an illustration of what is ‘primitive’. A recent con- gress on the history of religion was a good example: in a conference which lasted several days, the religion was just squeezed in and K African Traditional Religion perfunctorily touched upon among other matters. Thus, the world outside Africa still has to wake up to the fact that African traditional religion is the religion which resulted from the sustaining faith held by the forbears of the present Africans, which is being practised today by the majority of Africans in various forms and various shades and intensities, nakedly in most cases; but also, in some cases, under the veneers supplied by Westernism and Arabism; it is also a religion which is receiving a new vitality in certain areas in consequence of nationalism plus inspiration by other religions. Secondly, the important question of what is the indigenous religion of Africa has become an urgent one. The question expands itself to include ‘what is the nature of religion?’ and ‘of what ele- ments is it made up?’ Experience has revealed that this is an area in which there has been much perplexity and confusion, which have resulted in the coinage of wrong descriptive nomenclatures for the religion. Thirdly, the eyes of African peoples, especially African scholars, are being opened to the fact that they have a certain God-given heritage which has its own intrinsic values with which is bound the destiny of their racial soul. These values they are seeking to recover or refurbish. This is the meaning of the philosophies of identity known as ‘négritude’, ‘African personality’, etc., with their counterparts in Black Power, Black Religion, etc. Besides, African scholars are beginning to engage themselves in serious researches into the indigenous beliefs of their peoples; African traditional religion is now a recognized course in African universities, training colleges, and seminaries. Recently, it has been listed among the courses to be taught in the upper classes of second- ary schools and examined for the General Certificate of Education. An urgent need has arisen, theretore, for a guide book, if the task of research is to be carried out thoroughly and teaching done effectively. Fourthly, African traditional religion is religion indeed; therefore, it is necessary for both teachers and students to see it where it really belongs. Thus, it has been necessary to begin this book with a general introduction to religion — a beaten and perhaps well-trodden track to several scholars; but a necessary path to be trodden for many. It is a vital exercise for those who still need to be convinced of the claim of African traditional religion. There is also a need for be-