Tag Archives: African Traditional Religion

A Religion of Fear

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— Brino Kumwenda

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

There is pervasive fear among Africans, including professing Christians.  It is fear that is based on the African Traditional Religion and the misinterpretation of Scripture.  This is why modern-day prophets run the lucrative business of inflicting or solidifying fear in people and presenting themselves as men and women of God, who have the power to set the people free from their slavery of fear. 

The people run to them and are more than willing to “sow a seed” and buy their anointed objects like water and oil so that they can be set free. The business is thriving because traditional Africans have these fears and believe that mediums such as witchdoctors can set them free from them. 

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The African Supreme Being: How Syncretism Sullies Christianity

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–– Brino Kumwenda

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Syncretism is when elements of different religions are combined, mixed, or blended. In sub-Saharan Africa, the devil has used syncretism to weaken the faith of many professing Christians. Most Africans are born into the African Traditional Religion (ATR), believing in the Supreme Being. ATR is so pervasive and yet many Africans are unaware of its impact on them, even after embracing another religion. As Ndemanu writes, “Africans are first and foremost members of traditional religions before any other religion”. When a foreign religion comes into African communities, most people don’t abandon their ATR. Instead, they simply combine their respective beliefs.

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Ancestor Worship in the Church

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–– Paul Schlehlein

Audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Recently while preaching in Namibia, I visited a far-northern town near the border of Angola. I took my sons to a village cemetery to visit the grave of a famous missionary buried there. We looked through the overgrown grass and horizon of headstones and spotted two men kneeling before a grave, bent over in humility, lips moving silently in prayer. After some minutes they moved to the next grave marker, then the next, and the next. They confided later that they were praying to their ancestors. 

Defining Ancestor Worship

This is not uncommon in Africa. Veneration of ancestral spirits permeates traditional African culture as commonly as drumming and dancing. In the thinking of Traditional African Religion (ATR), the ancestors demand respect and remembrance. Honouring them will lead to blessing. Neglecting them will cause misfortune. 

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Praying to Ancestors for Guidance

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–– Paul Schlehlein

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Despite the influence of Christianity and Islam on the continent, Africans still attach tremendous honour to their ancestors. Ancestor worship is deeply engrained into the African belief system, its influence reaching the heights of political power. 

Ancestor Worship in Africa

For example, in the early days of Cyril Ramaphosa’s first term as president of South Africa, he focused on the country’s need for ancestral intervention. He called upon the leaders of his ANC political party to visit the graves of former presidents. They did this, he said, “to ask for a way forward.” 

For millennia, Africans have done this when faced with misfortune. “We go back to our ancestors to talk to them,” Ramaphosa said. So why did the ANC leaders visit the grave of former president Nelson Mandela? “To draw wisdom,” Ramaphosa said. 

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