The traditional African religions or traditional beliefs and practices of African people are a set of highly diverse beliefs that includes various ethnic religions. Rev. This article was the last of three lectures delivered at a religious workshop on Religion in Africa Today, held at St. Paul's Theological College, Limuru, Kenya, 13–16 April 1970, and attended by staff from theological colleges in East Africa. Some challenge the word "traditional" and prefer "indigenous" since traditional can also include traditional African Islam and Christianity, and are established traditions in African societies. Religions in Kenya (2009 census) ... and the settlers regarded them as pro-African. Posted on May 5, 2015 by Kaylyn, Jessica, Brandon and Derek. Traditional African religions. In contemporary discussions of ways to attain sustainable and authentic human development, there is a reluctance to consider the influence of African traditional religion. It has become customary in modern times to discuss the history of African Christianity focusing only on the period dating back to the colonial days. The Kikuyu religion believes that Ngai, or God, lives on top of Mt. Just under 10% of the population still do not adhere to Christianity or Islam, but to their traditional beliefs. The African religions scholar Placide Tempels describes every misfortune that Africans encounter as "a diminution of vital force." Desire for self-rule continued to build and in 1944 the Kenya African Union, a nationalist party, was founded. Many indigenous languages are spoken by the various indigenous tribes of Kenya. European and other foreign settlers brought most of these religions. This is known as life cycle. The predominant Religion in Kenya is Christianity, which is adhered to by an estimated 82.6% of the total population. The spread of Christianity in Kenya has largely eliminated many of the traditional and tribal beliefs held by the people of Kenya, prior to contact with Europeans. Each term is debated among scholars. The purpose of this is to help to orient a person who would like to work in the context of Africa. For many people, combining traditional religion with either African Religions, AFRICAN RELIGIONS ••• This entry presents a brief, general picture of Africa's traditional religious heritage, focusing on the major beliefs because… Eritrea, POPULATION 4,465,651 SUNNI MUSLIM 50 percent ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN (TEWAHDO) 40 percent EASTERN CATHOLIC (EASTERN RITE) AND ROMAN CATHOLIC 5.5 percent P… 5. RELIGION AS A PERCENTAGE OF W O R L D P O P U L A T I O N : 1.3 percent such as rivers, mountains, trees, and the Sun (as well as forces such as wind and rain), represent the nature spir- its. Religious traditions of Africa. 4. African Traditional Religions F O U N D E D : 200,000–100,000 B.C.E. The historiography of African religions and religions in Africa presents a remarkable shift from the study of 'Africa as Object' to 'Africa as Subject', thus translating the subject from obscurity into the global community of the academic study of religion. Islam is the second largest religion in Kenya, practiced by about 11.1% of the total population. In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. letter titled ‘Attention to African Traditional Religions’, which may be the rst Vatican document to recognise AIR as a dialogue partner in the African context (Mercado 2004, The dishes in Kenya are diverse and are a mix of ethnicity and tradition. African traditional religions is a term referring to a variety of religions indigenous to the continent of Africa.. Traditional African religion is very popular and arrived here with our North and West African ancestors. African traditional religions and Indigenous African religions are both common terms used to discuss the subject of indigenous faiths found within Africa. Terminology. Igbo traditional worldview reveals that the journey that man makes in a lifetime and after his death is cyclical. Other faiths practiced in Kenya are Baha'i, Hinduism and traditional religions. Welcome to the summary lecture of African Traditional Religions. These 11 items can be combined into a single scale to provide an overall picture of where involvement with traditional African religions is highest. The core characteristics and beliefs of the world's major religions are described below. Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural, include belief in a supreme creator, belief in spirits, veneration of the dead, use of magic and traditional medicine. Parrinder (1975), in his book West African Religion, discusses the beings under four headings: The Supreme God, the Sky gods, the Mother earth, and other divinities. African traditional religions and African arts dovetail. Illness and death result from some outside agent, a person, thing, or circumstance that weakens people because the agent contains a greater life force. African Traditional Religion (ATR) and cultural practices in most parts of African communities are environmentally friendly and sustainable, contributing so much to natural resource sustainability and conservation (International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), 1992). The Kikuyu religion is one of the traditional African religions practiced in Kenya. Some examples of African traditional faiths include the Yoruba and Igbo of Nigeria, the Serer of Senegal, the Akan of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, and Vodun, a religion practiced by the Gbe peoples. 3. This is a 3-hour summary lecture on the basic components of African Traditional Religions. If numbers of adher-ents are indicative of the continued existence of a religion, then the numbers of adherents of African religion ensure its continu-ation in the future. Religion gives meaning and value to all forms of African artistic expression, including literature, music, visual art, and dance. It is known for its wildlife safaris, beautiful landscapes, and—of course—delicious food. African traditional religion was in line with the taboos while in Christianity worship is in line with the ten commandments. The major faiths practiced in South Africa are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, traditional African religions and Judaism. Vodun gave increase to a number of various diaspora faiths, throughout the world collectively referred to as “Voodoo” or “Vudú.” 3. The remaining minority of people in Kenya follow religions such as Hinduism and Sikhism. African tribal societies are rich in the awareness of a Supreme Being to the extent that no native-born African is unaware of God’s existence (O’Donovan 1996:41). Definition: This entry is an ordered listing of religions by adherents starting with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total population. The belief in the existence of the visible and invisible world is one of the common conceptions in all the African traditional religions. Religion of Kenya – Traditional Kenyan Beliefs. It may be hard to generalise the indigenous religions because of the difference in most of the African cultures. Muslims and followers of traditional African religions also … Christians including both Protestants, Catholics, and other Christians account for 83% of Kenya’s population. J ohn S. M biti is Professor of Theology and Comparative Religion in Makere University College, Uganda. In traditional African society, there is implied and widespread belief in a Supreme Being, God. It is estimated that close to one hundred million or ten percent of the African population still follows the indigenous religious beliefs. Moreover, in the African traditional religions, it is really difficult to determine the subtle boundaries between the daily life and the religious life. Tag Archives: Traditional African Religions Religious Leaders Partly to Blame for Domestic Violence Rise in Tanzania. Other Kenyan Religions. General Overviews. Indian religions such as these came to Kenya mainly by the Indian workers who were brought in to build the Uganda rail line. In Africa, the traditional belief systems hold the ascription The Traditional African religions (or traditional beliefs and practices of African people) are highly diverse and include various ethnic religions. Christian worship is done in churches while African traditional religion, worship is done in sacred places for example shrines and caves, under trees, grave yards. I plan to visit Kenya soon, and these are the dishes I want to try or have already tried. Last week, in a veiled comparison between African traditional religions and Christianity, which is the major religion in Jamaica, some of the key elements of African traditional religions were discussed using Kenya-born Professor John S. Mbiti, a well-known scholar and researcher of African religions, as the main reference. sizable number of adherents in African-influenced religions in the Americas and elsewhere in the world. African Traditional Religion (ATR) or African Religion in this paper gave meaning and a sense of purpose to all aspects of thought and action (cf. This was among the few religions in Africa before colonization. ... government officials, and public awareness campaigns based in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Latvia. Kenya, so they say their prayers facing the Mountain. 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