African Religion in Culture and Development Lecture

UGRC 229 ELECTIVE WEEK Four Lectures African Religion: Issue in Culture & Development Week 4 Lesson 1 Instructor: Prof A.K. Awedoba TAs: 1. Ms. Ruth Mango 2. Fabiana Asiak-wen Abagdem Prof A.K. Awedoba © IAS, UG, Legon,...

UGRC 229 ELECTIVE WEEK Four Lectures African Religion: Issue in Culture & Development Week 4 Lesson 1 Instructor: Prof A.K. Awedoba TAs: 1. Ms. Ruth Mango 2. Fabiana Asiak-wen Abagdem Prof A.K. Awedoba © IAS, UG, Legon, 2023 1  Lesson Synopsis Religion as Issue in Culture and for Development Characteristics of African Religion Religious Profiles. Roles of African Religion in development – double-edged sword Witchcraft beliefs  Place of Religion in Life: Comments Characterizations of Africans: that they are: incurably religious. are deeply superstitious i.e. they see a spiritual angle in everything. But many Westerners & some Africans think African religion is fetishism; i,e. idol worship. The Ghanaian is said to be fatalistic; his/her ways are governed by fatalism and pre- scripted destiny. This is a fallacy of over-generalization and not the whole truth; Africans are not identical in all respects. Unwise to generalise for all Africans Just as some Africans may be ‘incurably’ religious, very superstitious, & even fatalistic, there are Africans who are not like that. Though not many, there are African agnostics who do not believe in God, or spirits, or in their power to influence or control events. Some Africans do not  Comparative Religiosity? The 10 Most Religious Countries 1. Ethiopia - 99% feel religious 2. 3. Malawi - 99% Niger - 99% Top 3 4. Sri Lanka - 99% countries are 5. 6. Yemen - 99% Burundi - 98% African. 7 7. Djibouti - 98% African 8. 9. Mauritania - 98% Somalia - 98% countries 10. Afghanistan - 97% made the list. Ghana scored Oliver Smith, DIGITAL TRAVEL EDITOR 16 APRIL 2017  The 10 Least Religious Countries 1. China - 7% feel religious [Cradle of Taoism] 2. Japan - 13% -do- [Cradle of Shintoism] 3. Estonia - 16% -do- 4. Sweden - 19% -do- No African 5. Norway - 21% -do- country in 6. Czech Rep - 23% 7. Hong Kong - 26% this list 8. Netherlands - 26% 9. Israel - 30% [Cradle of Christianity & Judaism] 10.United Kingdom - 30% [Cradle of Episcopal church]  Observations~Conclusions on the Surveys African countries are among the most religious in the world. Ghana & Nigeria occupy top spot. No African country features among the twenty top-most atheistic nations of the world. Western Europeans: Italy, USA, Britain, usually labelled as ‘Christian’, do not feature much in the league of the most religious. France, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, nominally Christian, are among the most atheistic. An interesting fact: poor nations are more religious than the rich ones. WHY?  An Opinion: ‘Ghana’s political leadership & religion’ Ghanaians are compulsively religious.... ‘they are notoriously religious’. Religion is pervasive in Ghanaian society; it brushes the corridors of power including contemporary politics. Ghanaian political leaders and especially power seekers, play the religious card so often, they play it so openly to the extent that it becomes difficult to separate religion from politics in periods when they are competing for votes. http://www.myjoyonline.com/features/ 200801/12946.asp Pervasive Power of African Religion African Religion may prescribe/influence ff: Work: what work to do, or don’t do; Leisure: When to work, or relax; Income expenditure: what to do with your income and earnings; Diet: food/drinks you consume or don’t- taboos; Neighbourliness: how you relate to neighbours; Voting behaviour: how you vote at elections and for whom; Marriage: who you marry or don’t marry. If all this is true, then religion must be powerful - a force for progress or but also for retrogression.  National Cathedrals and Basilicas The centrality of religion explains why African governments use scarce national resources to build national cathedrals, basilicas & mosques. Church services in Africa are long, and most sacrifice leisure to go to services on Sundays. By contrast, in Western Europe, grand cathedrals and basilicas are museums. Few go there to worship. Prayers begin official business in Africa. Africans pioritise religion. You might just as well say ‘Seek ye first the religious kingdom’  Features of Trad. African Religion & Cosmology. There is belief in 1. Supreme creator God - the Akan Onyankopong. The African God may be described as regal and otiose, distant/near; He/She may be worshipped indirectly/directly. 2. the earth may be conceptualised as divine – a god/goddess – the Akan Asaase Yaa 3. The ancestors are alive & venerated: invoked by sacrifice & prayer; they influence community life. 4. Pantheon of lesser gods & spirits believed to exist; these may be good or bad, or neutral. Some of them are controllable and manageable.  More Features of Afr Traditional Religion The Spirits are seen/unseen ; have guises: some can assume human form. Indeed, not all women / men are thought to be persons; some are masqueraders (a reason for some people being treated differently). Twins and babies with usual features may be more than human. Deities may control natural forces - thunder, rain, lightning, chicken pox, etc. (the Yoruba Ogun, Sampona) or live in environmental features rivers, trees, hills, etc. (Bosomtwi, Tano, Korle).  The Human Being in African Thought Man (and woman) are mortal: with decaying body, but also have spirit (kra) & soul (susum). Some people are believed to have spiritual powers and can do the superhuman. Death results when spirit leaves body, but it’s not the end: there is transition to an afterlife. There is life after death which is modelled on the life lived on earth. Man is believed to have destiny krabea /adaayele scripted before birth.  African Trad. Religion [ATR] Deities sanction behaviour – punishing & rewarding. African ancestors – ‘the living dead’ - are close to humans & sanction ethics & morality. Divinities aren’t only interested in social relations; they also check environmental abuses; it’s their abode. In African thought, environment is not therefore to be exploited ruthlessly, i.e. by polluting, cutting trees, killing animals with abandon, excavating and digging without good justification. See MDG 7 and SDGs 14 & 15 ATR blames environmental hazards on human activity. Thus, ATR supports development; but can also undermine.  African Religious Profiles: Denominations Africa is home to some dominant religions – Islam, Christianity, ancestral-based religion, etc. There are predominantly Moslem countries - Senegal, Maghreb-North Africa, etc. And Christian countries – Ethiopia. Many African countries are multi- religious. In some different faiths coexist but, in others, problems arise, e.g. Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, etc. Religion per se is not always to blame for such problems. Ghana is an example of multi-religious country.  Religious Wars and Peace Religious conflicts can exist between faiths – inter-faith conflicts, and intra-faith i.e. within denominations, accounting for wars, death & destruction in places like Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, Mali, Kenya , Burkina Faso etc. thus setting back development. Cf: Boko Haram & Al-Shabab, Isis, Alkaida, etc. In Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, the military have deposed governments citing failure to deal decisively with jihadists and insurrectionists. Case of Ghana: A Religious Profile Ghana is multi-religious comprising: Islam: 19.9% of Ghanaians – majority Sunni, but Sufi and Ahmadiyya, etc. exist. (Predominant in N-Region) Christians: 71.2% (Pentecostal/Charismatic = 31%, Protestant=17%, Catholic=10%, other 12) Traditional Religion: about 3% (U-East Region); Those without a religion - 1%; Others – 4.5%. * Religiously : Question of coexistence. For now, Ghana is doing fine.  Religion in Ghana 2010 ~ 2021 Christianity 71.2 ~ 71.3% –Pentecost/Charis 28.3~ 31.6 –Protestant 18.4 ~ 17.4 –Other Christians 11.4 ~ 12.3 –Catholic 13.1 ~ 10.0 Islam 17.6 ~ 19.9 Other 0.8 ~ 4.5 Traditionalist 5.2 ~ 3.2 No Religion 5.3 ~ 1.  Africa: a melting pot of religions. Despite classifications: Christian, Moslem, Traditionalists, etc. African people are essentially eclectic in religious orientations and tolerant. A Christian goes to church, but may partake of ancestral rituals or visit soothsayers and even see Malams; Faiths may also be in syncretic mode – borrowing and learning from each other. Some Africans are tolerant of religious & doctrinal differences, but some are not. Example of Syncretism & Eclectism: Fetish priest storms church to recover juju Two years ago , Mr. X, founder and leader of Vision Charismatic Chapel, allegedly consulted Nana Kwaku Z at his shrine in Akomadan-Afrancho for a special juju to establish a church at Kato, …. The prominent fetish priest, …, obliged and prepared a special juju at the cost of GH¢550, out of which the pastor instantly paid GH¢100, promising to pay the remainder in a few days. Pastor X, after taking delivery of the juju, came back a few weeks later and paid an additional amount of GH¢100 to Nana Kwaku Z. http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/200804/15129.asp Daily Guide, April, 2008  Examples of Specific Religion Conflict Case of Nigeria: Boko Haram at war with Muslims, Christians, etc. over sharia law and Western education - books that are haram! A Tamale case : A number of people were reportedly injured when two Muslim sects in Tamale clashed at a radio station in August 2012. The Tijaniya and the Al- Sunnah sects engaged in a violent confrontation at the Northern Star Radio, over the varied interpretations of some verses in the Qur'an. Property including motor-bikes were … reported to have been destroyed. See ‘Two Muslim sects clash over some teachings in Qur'an’ Myjoyonline.com|Joy News. http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201208/92375.php Published: August 19, 2012  Religion: As Tool for Development 1. Religion goes with morality that prescribes honesty, love, charity, hope and diligence, and respect for self and others, and for nature, etc. 2. Out of fear of divine sanction or in expectation of immediate or eternal reward, people abide by laws, norms & basic morality. This is pro-Develop -ment. But people also violate human rights for religious reasons – killings and wars in God’s name. Some religious taboos, eg against farming & fishing on certain days, can sometimes be unproductive. The Case of Afrikania Mission’s Objectives Founder: Osofo-Okomfo Kwabena Damuah Afrikania’s aims and objective are pro- development Such as the following: to 1.. liberate.. soul and body from all bondage of all kinds. 2.. teach people.. self-reliance by organising them to... provide for themselves basic needs of both soul and body; 3.. promote religious liberty and tolerance as fundamen-tal human rights as enshrined in the UN Charter; 4.. help bring about proper understanding of moral and spiritual values for peace and progress in the world;  More about Afrikania Mission Ideals 5.. set up schools and institutions to.. promote the best of Africa’s rich religious, moral and cultural heritage; 6.. practice the teaching that religion is basically a life of righteousness and good works within the frame-work of one’s culture and that work done in the spirit of love and service to humankind is worship and prayer at the same time. 7.. uphold and live by the principles that true service to mankind is service to God. All this is great, but there is a BUT  What About Afrikania Support Vestal Virgins? Trakosi is practice found in some Volta Region communities whereby parents send young daughters to traditional shrines to serve as atonement for sins of their parents. These ‘vestal virgins’ live like slaves. Afrikania has endorsed and defended Trokosi, paradoxically. Thus, religion can be a double- edged sword  Double-edged Religion: Kumasi Sofoline case Workers not working because of a curse! “Striking workers of the Sofoline Interchange Project say they are not going back to work until their leaders reverse a curse invoked to bind them all to their demand for a salary increase by preventing them from returning to work prematurely. Union leaders invoked the Antoa Nyamaa deity to deal with anybody who goes against the group’s decision to strike. But day after their employers, China GEO- Construction, agreed a 25% salary increase, the workers say they will return to work only under the condition that the curse is overturned.” http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201303/102160.php  River God that forbids goat husbandry.. at Elubo, goats are.. "out of bounds." No one can rear or slaughter goats there, or cross the River Tano with them. The punishment for flouting this unwritten order is death. According to some.. people of the town, it has been a taboo from time immemorial for anyone to rear, eat or cross River Tano with a goat into the town. o … people who dared to bring the animal to Elubo "paid dearly for it" and the animals only lived for less than three hours and died. Source: The Mirror Posted on: 25-Aug-2007  The ‘Fama Nyame’ Philosophy of Life Despite moments of doubt, many Africans trust God absolutely: See African proverbs such as - God knows best, God will decide, etc.. This thinking is encased in the philosophy of Fa- ma- nyame, which best translates as ‘leave it God’. The statement may be Akan, but many African peoples have similar adages and attitudes. So to many Africans it seems okay to leave it all to God’s better judgement. There is problem in doing this. Fa-ma-nyame orders attitudes & behaviours at critical moments in people’s lives: i.e. misfortunes, injustices, disputes, etc.  Implications of ‘Fa-ma- Nyame’ Famanyame can mean controversies, grievances, conflicts, are not to be settled by self-help and vengeance. This makes for peace and order. But it also implies indolence - people become passive as they depend too much on Providence to protect them & provide for their needs. In some sense, it results in injustices and exploita-tion: crooks exploit others in God’s name. Example: while some pastors become billionaires, their followers are impoverished. Religion can indeed become an opiate [Opium]. But Materialism without religion=bad: River-based Galamsey & its Outcome In Trad. African religion, rivers and water bodies, landscapes and forests are deities, but who cares if people are not religious-minded! Results: Environmental degradations - rivers are ‘Galamseyed’ and become silted, resulting in floods when it rains; [Galamsey=artisanal or small-scale mining] High concentrations of dangerous minerals and chemicals – mercury, etc. in water bodies implies – Community sources of drinking water affected; – Aquatic life endangered; – People fall sick when people consume polluted riverine products. Ghanaian Rivers Under Attack (the Pra) http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2013/October-25th/photo-of-the-week- cry-me-a-river-river-pra-before-and-after-galamsey.php What can we do about this? Imagine River Ankobra: Fish Haven Turned Gold-washing Bowl  African Religion Comes to the Rescue Concern about artisanal miners polluting water bodies finds expression in the idiom of religion. Chiefs and priests - custodians of ATR , become allies of those seeking to protect the environment. African deities - rivers are gods- are believed/said to visit calamities on communities that fail to protect the rivers. The same can be said for other forms of environmental degradation. African religion teaches that the gods may be slow to act, but they strike in due time.  Case:River Pollution Offends African Gods Adom News: July, 2011 reports as ff: ‘The paramount chief of Kade … warned against polluting the Birim River to avoid the wrath of God. Osabarima Agyare … noted that if pollution of the river does not come to an end, greater calamity will befall the people living around it. The chief gave the warning in the wake of the current heavy flooding’. But listens? Reader’s reaction: ‘A whole community of intelligent people has been misled by uneducated fetish priestess.’ Well, Science and materialism vrs religion? They need each other to be effective in development. African gods: Environment Protectors ‘Chiefs and fetish priests of the Akyem state in the Eastern Region and its environs have performed necessary rituals to appease the god of the Birim River. The river god is believed to have been angry at the youth in the town who were engaging in illegal mining (galamsey) activities and polluting the river.’ [Adom News: July, 2011] Note: As the elders try to appease River Birim, it follows that they would also try to dissuade the youth from galamseying in the river.  African Witchcraft The lesson on African religion is incomplete without reference to Witchcraft. What is witchcraft; what are its manifestations? Why is it an issue for discussion in Culture and Development. Most see it as negative, but is it possible that it has a positive edged to the dark cloud? Witchcraft :Use/Abuse of Psychic Powers Witchcraft: Essentially, it is the possession and exercise of personal spiritual or psychic powers for good or evil. Depending on the society, such powers are believed to be inherent in a person or acquired via purchase or gift or accidentally. This makes w-craft a cultural issue; it is dynamic and its is religious given the spiritual aspects. It is social, economic and political and is also a gender issue. It has health implications.  Role Players in Witchcraft There is usually three key players: 1. Victim; 2. ‘Suspected’ culprit witch – suspected because there is no tangible proof; 3. Third party –arbiter/spectator. Victim, culprit, and third party are insiders. They are not total strangers. There is also role for witchdoctors – those who claim to diagnose witchcraft cases and claim to know what to about it.  Witchcraft and Sorcery: Synonyms? The difference: Witchcraft is psychic & spiritual in modus operandi. It is usually harmful and dreaded. Sorcery – ‘juju’, or ‘black’ magic is based on learnt techniques and manipulation of objects, spells and verbal curses. It too is dreaded and for that reason is sought after by those wishing to harm others or promote themselves. Witchcraft and Sorcery can be seen to reinforce each other in some societies like Tiv of Nigeria.  W-craft and Sorcery are Dreaded - In both, proof is hard to come by; much is based on suspicion, coincidences, or on what witch doctor or diviner says. Occasionally there is self-confession by a so called witch - Both w-craft and sorcery are regarded as evil in most societies, and with good reason. However, 40  A Canker that dies hard Witchcraft is not only about a people’s religious beliefs, but it is also a belief system that has multiple direct and indirect social, health, economic, political, and gender implications. It impacts communities and individuals and has implications for youth and aged, men and women, rich and poor. The belief remains strong despite modernization and education. 41  90-year-old woman accused of witchcraft lynched at Kafaba near Salaga 42 Witchcraft: Hilarious Church Posters & Adverts  Identity of the Witch The witch may, depending on the society, be a parent or child, wife or husband. Even an associate. Societies differ in their diagnosis of witches and witchcraft and actions taken. Women (old ladies) tend to bear the brunt of the accusation. What is the reason for it? 44  The Ignorant or Innocent Witch Is the ‘witch’ always aware he or she is a witch? Yes and No. Some confess to it In many societies, the anger against the witch derives from fact that people think the witch knows the harm he/or she is doing and enjoys harming others. In some societies, like Azande of Congo, the witch may or may not 45 It is believed that although God, deities, ancestors, wild spirits, etc. are sources of misfortune,,persons, due to malice towards neighbour/associate, can also be authors of human misfortune or because of a craving for human flesh. It is believed that witches feast on human souls. Those responsible: accused or guilty 46  Misfortune due to witchcraft may take any form – failure in social or economic ventures, illness, - accidents, - injury, death, etc. However, even the victim does not escape a remote responsibility for his or her misfortune due to his 47  Witches and Powerful Spirits In many African cultures and societies, it is believed that some people have powerful spirits that enable them to do strange things spiritually, such as: – fly, and or change into dangerous animals, - carry out nocturnal misadventures, etc. 48  Pervasiveness of Witchcraft W-craft beliefs go back a long way in human history; some scholars see them as unscientific searches for causality or for explanation of uncanny phenomena. Scholars conclude that W-craft answers the question why certain misfortunes happen. Science can answer the question how but not always the why. The why: the remote cause, may not be self-evident. Yet people need answers. This quest explains persistence of w-craft beliefs even among scientifically-educated people.  The Ignorant or Innocent Witch Is the ‘witch’ always aware he or she is a witch? Yes and No. Some confess to it In many societies, the anger against the witch derives from fact that people think the witch know the harm he/or she is doing and enjoys harming others. In some societies, like Azande of Congo, the witch may or may not 50  Misfortune due to witchcraft may take any form – failure in social or economic ventures, illness, - accidents, - injury, death, etc. However, even the victim does not escape a remote responsibility for his or her misfortune due to his 51  Witches and Powerful Spirits In many African cultures and societies, it is believed that some people have powerful spirits that enable them to do strange things spiritually, such as: – fly, and or change into dangerous animals, - carry out nocturnal misadventures, etc. 52  Pervasiveness of Witchcraft W-craft beliefs go back a long way in human history; some scholars see them as unscientific searches for causality or for explanation of uncanny phenomena. Scholars conclude that W-craft answers the question why certain misfortunes happen. Science can answer the question how but not always the why. The why: the remote cause, may not be self-evident. Yet people need answers. This quest explains persistence of w-craft beliefs even among scientifically-educated people. Witchcraft Mentality seems deeply Rooted in Modern African society It is in modern business culture In love affairs and conjugal life, In academia, In politics, In religion including Christianity and Islam, In competitive sports. In football tournaments: Black Star Coaches attest to this. ‘In the words of Milovan Rajevac ‘Juju in Black Stars camp is nothing new’ Witchcraft Mentality seems deeply Rooted in Modern African society It is in modern business culture In love affairs and conjugal life, In academia, In politics, In religion including Christianity and Islam, In competitive sports. In football tournaments: Black Star Coaches attest to this. ‘In the words of Milovan Rajevac ‘Juju in Black Stars camp is nothing new’