Religion in Africa

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Map showing the modern continental distribution of the major faiths and religious beliefs. Denominations or sects are excluded.

Religion in Africa is multifaceted and has been a major influence on art, culture and philosophy. The continent's various populations and individuals are mostly adherents of Christianity or Islam. Others practice traditional and folk religions. In the countryside, religious beliefs are also often characterized by syncretism with local traditions.[1][1][2][3]
Contents [hide] 1 African traditional religion 2 Abrahamic religions 2.1 Bah' Faith 2.2 Christianity 2.3 Islam 2.4 Judaism 3 Hinduism 4 Other religions 5 Irreligion / agnostic / atheism

6 Syncretism 7 Religious distribution 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit]

African traditional religion

Main article: African traditional religion

Early 20th century Yorubadivination board

Voodoo altar in Abomey, Benin

Africa encompasses a wide variety of traditional beliefs. Although religious customs are sometimes shared by many local societies, they are usually unique to specific populations or geographic regions.[4] According to Dr J Omosade Awolalu, The "traditional" in this context means indigenous, that which is foundational, handed down from generation to generation, meant as to be upheld and practised today and forevermore. A heritage from the past, yet not treated as a thing of the past but that which connects the past with the present and the present with eternity.[3] Often spoken of in the terms of a singularity, deliberate; yet conscious of the fact that Africa is a large continent with multitudes of nations who have complexed cultures, innumerable languages and myriads of dialects.[3] The essence of this school of thought is based mainly on oral transmission; that which is written in people's hearts, minds, oral history, customs, temples and religious functions.[5] It has no founders or leaders like Gautama the Buddha, Christos, Ashoka, Christ or Muhammed.[6] It has no missionaries or the intent to propagate or to proselytise.[7] Some of the African traditional religions include Yoruba, Serer and Igbo religion. [edit]

Abrahamic religions
The majority of Africans are adherents of Christianity or Islam. African people often combine the practice of their traditional belief with the practice of Abrahamic religions.[8][9][8][10][11][12] Abrahamic religions are widespread throughout Africa. They have both spread and replaced indigenous African religions, but are often adapted to African cultural contexts and belief systems. It was estimated in 2002 that Christians form 40% of Africa's population, with Muslims forming 45%.[13] [edit]

Bah' Faith
Main article: Bah' Faith in Africa

Bah' House of Worship, Kampala, Uganda.

The Bah' Faith in Africa has a diverse history. It is the 3rd most widespread organized Abrahamic religion in Africa after Islam and Christianity[14] after its wide-scale growth in the 1950s and extend in the 1960s.[15] The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia) lists many large and smaller populations in Africa[16] with Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa and Zambia among the top ten numerical populations of Bah's in the world in 2005 (each with over 200,000 adherents), and Mauritius in terms of percentage of the national population. All three individual heads of the religion, Bah'u'llh, `Abdu'l-Bah, and Shoghi Effendi, were in Africa at various times. More recently the roughly 2000[17] Bah's of Egypt have been embroiled in the Egyptian identification card controversy from 2006[18] through 2009.[19] Since then there have been homes burned down and families driven out of towns.[20] On the other hand Sub-Saharan Bah's were able to mobilize for nine regional conferences called for by the Universal House of Justice 20 October 2008 to celebrate recent achievements in grassroots communitybuilding and to plan their next steps in organizing in their home areas.[21] [edit]

Christianity
Main article: Christianity in Africa

The Hanging Church of Cairo, Egypt.

Christianity is now one of the two most widely practised religions in Africa and is the largest religion in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most adherents outside Egypt, Ethiopia and Eritrea are Roman Catholic or Protestant. Several syncretistic and messianic sects have formed throughout much of the continent, including the Nazareth Baptist Church in South Africa and the Aladura churches in Nigeria.There is also fairly widespread populations of Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses. The oldest Christian denominations in Africa are the Coptic church in Egypt and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, all Oriental Orthodox, which rose to prominence in the fourth century AD after King Ezana the Great made Ethiopia one of the first Christian nations.[22] In the first few centuries of Christianity, Africa produced many figures who had a major influence outside the continent, including St Augustine of Hippo, St Maurice, Origen, Tertullian, and three Roman Catholic popes (Victor I, Miltiades and Gelasius I), as well as the Biblical characters Simon of Cyrene and the Ethiopian eunuch baptised by Philip the Evangelist. Christianity existed in Ethiopia before the rule of King Ezana the Great of the Kingdom of Axum, but the religion took a strong foot hold when it was declared a state religion in 330 AD, becoming one of the first Christian nations.[23] The earliest and best known reference to the introduction of Christianity to Africa is mentioned in the Christian Bible's Acts of the

Apostles, and pertains to the evangelist Phillip's conversion of an Ethiopian traveler in the 1st Century AD. Although the Bible refers to them as Ethiopians, scholars have argued that Ethiopia was a common term encompassing the area South-Southeast of Egypt. Other traditions have the convert as a Jew who was a steward in the Queens court.[clarification needed] All accounts do agree on the fact that the traveler was a member of the royal court who successfully succeeded in converting the Queen, which in turn caused a church to be built. Tyrannius Rufinus, a noted church historian, also recorded a personal account as do other church historians such as Socrates and Sozemius.[24] Some experts predict the shift of Christianity's center from the European industrialized nations to Africa and Asia in modern times. Yale University historian Lamin Sanneh stated, that "African Christianity was not just an exotic, curious phenomenon in an obscure part of the world, but that African Christianity might be the shape of things to come."[25] The statistics from the World Christian Encyclopedia (David Barrett) illustrate the emerging trend of dramatic Christian growth on the continent and supposes, that in 2025 there will be 633 million Christians in Africa.[26] [edit]

Islam
Main article: Islam in Africa

The Great Mosque of Kairouan, erected in 670 by the Arab general Uqba Ibn Nafi, is the oldest mosque in North Africa,[27] Kairouan, Tunisia.

Abuja National Mosque in Nigeria.

According to the World Book Encyclopedia, Islam is the largest religion in Africa,[28] with 47% of the population being Muslim, accounting for 1/4 of the world's Muslim population.[29] The faith's historic roots on the continent

stem from the time of the Prophet Muhammad, whose early disciples migrated to Abyssinia (hijira) in fear of persecution from the pagan Arabs. The spread of Islam in North Africa came with the invasion of Egypt under Caliph Umar, through the Sinai Peninsula - followed by the rapid conquest of North Africa by the Arab armies. Islam in West Africa was through Islamic traders and sailors. Islam is the dominant religion in North Africa and the Horn of Africa. It has also become the predominant religion on the Swahili Coast as well as the West African seaboard and parts of the interior. There have been several Muslim empires in Western Africa which exerted considerable influence, notably the Mali Empire, which flourished for several centuries and the Songhai Empire, under the leadership of Mansa Musa, Sonni Ali and Askia Mohammed. [edit]

Judaism
Main article: African Jews Adherents of Judaism too can be found scattered across Africa. Perhaps not as well known as the history of Christianity and Islam in Africa to the outside observer, Judaism has an ancient and rich history on the African continent. Today, there are Jewish communities in many countries; including the Beta Israel of Ethiopia, the Abayudaya of Uganda, the House of Israel in Ghana, the Igbo Jews of Nigeria and the Lemba of Southern Africa. [edit]

Hinduism
Main article: Hinduism in Africa Hinduism has existed in Africa mainly since the late 19th century. While the religion is not well spread, it is the largest religion in Mauritius,[30] and several other countries have Hindu temples.[citation needed] [edit]

Other religions

Other world religions such as Jainism, Shinto, and Buddhism have small followings in various parts of Africa, though their reach is often primarily among immigrants from countries where these religions are more commonly practiced.[citation needed] [edit]

Irreligion / agnostic / atheism

A Gallup poll shows that the irreligious amount to 20% in South Africa, 16% in Botswana, 13% in Mozambique, 13% in Togo, 12% in Libya and Ivory Coast, 10% in Ethiopia and Angola, 9% in Sudan, Zimbabwe and Algeria, 8% in Namibia and 7% in Madagascar.[31] [edit]

Syncretism
Syncretism is the combining of different (often contradictory) beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. In the commonwealth of Africa syncretism with indigenous beliefs is practiced throughout the region. It is believed by some to explain religious tolerance between different groups.[32] Kwesi Yankah and John Mbiti argue that many African peoples today have a 'mixed' religious heritage to try to reconcile traditional religions with Abrahamic faiths.[33][34] Jesse Mugambi claims that the Christianity taught to Africans by missionaries had a fear of syncretism, which was carried on by current African Christian leadership in an attempt to keep Christianity "pure."[35] Syncretism in Africa is said by others to be overstated,[36] and due to a misunderstanding of the abilities to of local populations to form their own orthodoxieto s and also confusion over what is culture and what is religion.[37] Others state that the term syncretism is an elusive,[38] since it can be applied to refer to substitution or modification of the central elements of Christianity or Islam with beliefs or practices from somewhere else. The consequences under this definition, according to missiologist Keith Ferdinando, are a fatal compromise of the religion's integrity. However, communities in Africa (e.g. Afro-Asiatic) have many common practices which are also found in Abrahamic faiths, and thus these traditions do not fall under the category

of some definitions of syncretism.[39][40]

Country

Christianity % of total population

Islam % of total population

Traditional religions and other % of total population 4.5 9.9 9.6 13 2.9

Sourcen1

- Central Africa Angola Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Equatorial Guinea Gabon So Tom and Prncipe Burundi Comoros Kenya Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mayotte Mozambique Runion Rwanda Seychelles Tanzania Uganda Zambia 95 69.2 80.3 34 95.6 0.5 20.9 10.1 53 1.5
[41] [42]

[3]
[43]

[44]

90.7 93 73 97

1.3 1 10 2 - East Africa -

8 6 17 1

[45]

[46] [47] [48]

75 2 78 41 79.9 32.2 3 56.1 84.9 93.6 93.1 30 84 87

5 98 10 7 12.8 16.6 97 17.9 2.1 4.6 1.1 35 12 1

20 0 12 52 7.3 51.2 0 26 13 1.8 5.8 35 4 12

[49] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61] [62]

- Horn of Africa Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Somalia Algeria Egypt Libya Morocco Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic South Sudan Sudan Tunisia Botswana Lesotho Namibia South Africa Swaziland Zimbabwe Benin Burkina Faso Cape Verde Cte d'Ivoire Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau 6 62.5 62.8 0 1 10 1 1.1 0 50 3 1 71.6 90 90 79.7 90 84 42.8 23 99 37.5 9 69 10 10 94 36.5 33.9 100 - North Africa 99 90 97 98.7 100 0 97 98 0.3 0 0 1.5 1 1 - West Africa 24.4 61 0 37.5 90 15.6 85 50 32.8 16 1 25.0 1 15.4 5 40
[80] [81] [82] [83] [84] [85] [86] [87]

0 1 3.3 0 0 0 2 0.2 0 50 0 1 28.1 10 10 18.8 9 15

[63] [64] [65] [66]

[67] [68] [69] [70]

[71]

?
[72] [73]

- Southern Africa [74] [75] [76] [77] [78] [79]

Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone

85.6 5 0 5 48.2 5 21

12.2 90 100 90 50.4 94 77

2.2 5 0 5 1.4 1 2

[88] [89] [90] [91] [92] [93] [94]

Religion In Africa: Voodoo?

Today I came across a tweet on Twitter stating, and actually voodoo is based upon catholic ideologies..voodoo is not an African religion. its a slave religion. I have heard other people contend that voodoo originated in the Caribbean. Now, which is it? Is it African? Or, is voodoo even a religion? When we discuss such a topic we must state weather we are talking about origins or current practices, weather we are talking about practices in New Orleans, Ouidah (Benin), or Brazil. The word voodoo is used as a designation for many things. Even our modern, standard, go-to place for definitions, Wikipedia, knows that the term voodoo has many meanings. There is a jet fighter called F-101 voodoo, then there is voodoo music, and also a voodoo ride at a theme park in Pennsylvania. But, we are not referring to any of those. Where does the term voodoo originate? It is an Anglicized form (English rendering of a foreign word) of the word vodoun which is common to the Gbe languages of Benin and Togo. It means god. There are plenty, I mean hundreds, of vodoun in West Africa: Mami (referred to in the west as Mimi Wata), Legba, Hebiezo, Edan and many more. The religion (beliefs and practices) around each of these gods is unique. I lived in Benin for 9 years and have seen shrines to the gods (vodoun) and watched coven members (vodushi) to these gods work themselves into trances to communicate with these gods. Each god and each coven have their own beliefs and practices. The city of Ouidah in Benin is said, by some, to be the seat of voodoo, yet even in this city there are shrines to many of these gods. It is from the history of this city that some may make the connection between voodoo and slavery. Ouidah is the place where voodoo worshipers from around the world come on Benins holiday traditional religion. It is one of the main cities for spiritual powers of the Fon people. Ouidah is also the ancient port city from which slaves last walked on their homeland. Voodoo, at least in the origin of the term, is not a religion. However, in the Caribbean, Brazil and New Orleans, where the slaves landed, their are religions that have some clear similarities to the beliefs and practices of various West African covens. Just as the vodoun in West Africa, the voodoo in different regions of the world a distinct, in specifics, to that place. Yet, I would say that none of the above are a religions. Santeria is a religion in Brazil that has some vestiges of the West African vodoun, but the

religion is much more comprehensive than what most people think of when they hear the world voodoo. Mami Wata is consulted and scarified to in some of the voodoo practices in New Orleans, but again it a part of a larger belief system with its accompanying practices. The traditional religions of West Africa are certainly not voodoo. Their origin is not from slaves, nor Catholicism.

Religion in Africa

African Religions and Beliefs

Differences between African Traditional Religion and Christianity For centuries, African Traditional Religion in its myriad of forms was practiced by the majority of Africans, but in the last fifty years Christianity and Islam have become more prominent. West African contains the largest populations that are still following African Traditional Religion. There are differences and similarities between African Traditional Religion and Christianity. To see some similarities between them, click here. Below are list some of the major differences between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. God Most practitioners of African Traditional Religion have an understanding of a creator God, but this normally refined and broaden when one becomes a Christian. In African Traditional Religion creator God is distant from man. In Christianity God has been close to the human race throughout history and today reaches down in love to draw humans toward him. In African Traditional Religion, man has often made covenants with God. In Christianity God is the covenant maker and He gives the power to keep the covenant. Eternal Rest of the Soul Many forms of African Traditional Religion teach that the spirits of the dead can be born back into the realm of the living. The Biblical teaching is that human have one life on earth, a single judgment, and then everlasting rest or punishment of the soul. Indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God

There are many forms of spirits in African Traditional Religion, some can possess the living. In African Traditional Religion when a spirit possesses a person there are negative consequences. In African Traditional Religion one can be possessed in order to gain some privileged knowledge. Christianity promises that the Holy Spirit of God comes into the lives of all believers. In Christianity possession of the Holy Spirit of God is both the sign of being sons of God and the source of power and comfort. Christianity is for All Ethnic Groups African Traditional Religions are specific to each ethnic group on the continent. No ethnic group is motivated to teach another ethnic group its forms of religion and convert them. The evangelistic mandate of Christianity, and the very nature of Jehovah God, encompasses all ethnic groups on the planet for all time. The Christian message calls people out of earthly kingdoms into the Kingdom of God. Christ is the Mediator between Humans and God In African Traditional Religion ancestral spirits, and lesser gods, are usually the spirits that communicate with humans on earth. These spirit do not carry the desires of humans to the Creator God. Christ Jesus, Gods own son, takes the groaning of humans to God. Christ was tempted in all the ways men were tempted, so He is a sympathetic mediator.

Definition of Sin Sin in African Traditional Religion is mostly concerned with transgression of morals or community norms. In African Traditional Religion there is a difference in the severity or degree of a sins. If one does harm to someone in your his own ethnic group, it a more serious sin than if one commits it against someone of another group. In the Christian sin is against and in rebellion to God. In Christianity all sins are equal. Forgiveness Sacrifices are offered in African Traditional Religion in order placate, appease, or ask favors of the spirits.

They are often offered when a wrong is committed. The will of God, as revealed in the Bible, is that all people be forgiven and saved through the sacrifice of His son.

Africa Literacy Facts from UNESCO

For everyone everywhere, literacy is...a basic human right. Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary-General

In Sub-Saharan Africa
More than 1 in 3 adults cannot read. [1] 176 million adults are unable to read and write.[1] 47 million youths (ages 15-24) are illiterate.[1] 21 million adolescents are not in school. [2] 32 million primary aged children are not in school either. [2]

What is Literacy?

This is a simple question with a number of answers. For statistical purposes, UNESCO defines a literate person as someone who can read and write a short simple statement about their life. In recognizing its impact on poverty, health, active citizenship and empowerment, the development community recognizes "Illiteracy is a

condition that denies people opportunity." [3]

Getting Better, but Not There Yet

In 1990 the adult literacy rate in all of Africa was 52%. In 2008 it was 63%. [4] In 1990 there were over 177 million illiterates in all of Africa, but by 2008 there were over 200 million. [4] Literacy rates are improving globally, but in terms of raw numbers there are more illiterates than 20 years ago. In sub-Saharan Africa youth literacy rates (ages 15-24) have increased by 6% over the past 20 years, casting light on adult literacy projections. However, youth literacy rates in Sub-Saharan Africa (72%) are the lowest of any region, as is enrollment in secondary school (34%). For adults in sub-Saharan Africa the rates have improved by 9%, but there is a disparity between literacy for women and men. While 7 in 10 men can read, only half of women can do so. [1] The biggest barrier to increasing literacy is the lack of books, especially in rural areas.

Comparing the U.S. to Africa

The U.S. literacy rate is 99% [5], while it is 63% in sub-Saharan Africa. [1] Of the ten countries with the lowest recorded adult literacy rates, 9 are in Africa. [3]

Literacy in our Partner Countries

Building on rich oral traditions of storytelling, many of ALP's partner countries have shown improved literacy rates over time and with strong government investment in education. Botswana, for example, increased its adult literacy rate from 69% in 1991 to 83% in 2008, and invests 21% of its government spending in education (compared to 14% for the US) [4]. Lesotho invests over 12% of its GDP in education (compared to 5.5% in the US) [4]; and while this is the highest in Africa, public and school libraries are rare. The hunger to read for pleasure, for information, and to supplement textbook learning (when available), exists in the countries we serve because of the improving literacy rates and investments in education made over the years.

General Facts about Sub-Saharan Africa

Population in 2010 - 863 million [6] Life expectancy - 52 years [6] 4 in 100 people use the Internet [7] 23 telephone lines per 100 people [7] 24 million people living with HIV/AIDS [7]

Why Literacy?

Literacy is very important - many would say a human right. A good quality basic education equips pupils with literacy skills for life and further learning; literate parents are more likely to keep their children healthy and send their children to school; literate people are better able to access other education and employment opportunities; and, collectively, literate societies are better geared to meet development challenges. [8]

References

[1] UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Adult and Youth Literacy: Global Trends in Gender Parity. UIS Fact Sheet, September 2010, No. 2. http://www.uis.unesco.org/template/pdf/Literacy/Fact_Sheet_2010_Lit _EN.pdf [2] UNESCO. Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2010: Reaching the marginalized. Regional fact sheet Sub-Saharan Africa, 2010. http://www.unesco.org/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ED/GMR/pdf/gmr 2010/gmr2010-fs-ssa.pdf [3] UNESCO. Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2010: Reaching the marginalized. UNESCO, February 2010. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001866/186606E.pdf [4] UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre: http://stats.uis.unesco.org [5] CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/index.html

[6] United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision, New York, 2009 http://data.un.org [7] UNICEF, The State of the World's Children, New York, 2009 http://www.unicef.org/sowc/ [8] Carr-Hill, R., K. Frostell, and J. Pessoa. International literacy statistics: a review of concepts, methodology and current data. UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2008. http://www.uis.unesco.org/template/pdf/Literacy/LiteracyReport2008.p df