African Traditional Religion: The Misconceptions Surrounding The Religion (Cont.)

…Continuation

In my last post, I talked about Afrian Traditional Religion and some of the misconceptions surrounding the religion. It is clear from what I wrote earlier that the African people have a clear understanding of God. It is also clear that the question of ‘God’ and  'god' is Western because we do not have such language confusion when discussing God and the divinities.

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In the ladder of the ATR belief system, we have the spirits. Some of the spirits are wanderers of the universe. The spirits always look for an abode to make their homes. Some live in trees, rocks, animals. The Africans believe that the spirits walk in the Afternoon or very late at night. This is why pregnant women are advised not to walk in the afternoon  (around 1pm and 3pm) and if they must, they will attach safety pin to their cloth. It it believed this will chase the spirit away and stop it from entering the woman’s stomach (read more on my post on ABIKU).

The Africans also believe in ancestral worship. The ancestors are those men who lived moral life, died a good death, have children and great grandchildren. The Africans believe that death is not the end of life and that their ancestors are always around them. This is why we venerate our ancestors in Africa. 

We have some ancestors that lived among men and then attain the status of ‘god’ after their death. Sango, popularly known as god of thunder lived in Oyo state. He was the third Alaafin of Oyo and the second son of Oranmiyan. He was a warlord and always ready to go for war. He became a god after he vanished into the thin air when he was attacked by Gbonka (another warlord). 

Ogun is another god. Unlike sango, he descended from the sky to live among human beings so he is regarded as a primordial god. Ogun is known as god of iron. Those who drive buses in Lagos state (and Yoruba drivers at large) venerate him constantly. He is sometimes used as a witness. If you have seen an African man biting an iron to prove his innocence, then know that he is only using ogun as his witness. It is believed that ogun is a god of truth so when you call him to bear witness to an incident, he will protect you but when you call him to bear  false witness, he will show his wrath on the person. Such people die by iron.

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We also have magic and medicine. Magic is the abracadabra that is evident almost everywhere. ATR understands the importance of herbs and the African people do not joke with herbs. There are many ways we treat sick people before the advent of modern science. In Osun state, what they use there is water. There is the belief among the Osun people that whatever one asks the Osun river, one will get. This idea may look barbaric now but people still worship the Osun. There are many stories surrounding the Osun as both river and human being. Osun is a spirit or deity and one of the wives of sango. Osun is mostly venerated among the Yoruba people through the yearly Osun Oshogbo's program . This ceremony attracts people from all over the world. 

So venerating the ancestors is an integral part of the religion. It should be noted at this juncture that the religion of the people is a Godly one. It is not fetish as some would say. It is the customs and tradition of the people and a custom cannot be said to be inferior just because you do not share in such ideology.

Like every religion, ATR aim for the good of man. I have heard many people say they would prefer our leaders to swear by Sango or Ogun rather than using the scriptures. This shows they believe these gods will deal with this people instantly if they misuse their powers. Oath is a sacred thing to an African man and breaking an oath in most cases mean death.

In sum, ATR places emphasis on the Supreme Being. The gods, divinities and spirits are just intermediaries between man and the Supreme Being (God).

I will be talkng about ESU in my next post.

Thanks for reading. Your boy @smyle the philosopher.