–– Paul Schlehlein

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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.