Religion in Africa
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Religion in Africa is multifaceted. Most Africans adhere to either Christianity or Islam. Islam and Christianity contest which is larger, but many people that are adherents of both religions also practice African traditional religions, with traditions of folk religion or syncretism practised alongside an adherent's Christianity or Islam. [1]
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[edit] Abrahamic religions
The majority of Africans are adherents of the Abrahamic religions: Islam and Christianity. Both religions are widespread throughout Africa. These religions are often adapted to African cultural contexts and indigenous belief systems. It was estimated in 2000 that Christians form 45% of Africa's population, and Muslims forming 40.6%. [2]
[edit] Christianity
Although Christianity existed far before the rule of King Ezana the Great of the Kindom of Axum, the religion took a strong foothold when it was declared a state religion in 330 AD. Pinpointing a date as to when Christianity emerged in Ethiopia will always probably be a mystery. The earliest and best known reference to the introduction of Christianity was when the evangelist Phillip converted an Ethiopian traveler in the 1st Century AD from the Acts of the Apostles. Although the bible refers to them as Ethiopians, scholars have argued that Ethiopia was a common term used for encompassing the area South-Southeast of Egypt. Other traditions have the convert as a Jew who was a steward in the Queen’s court. 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. Rufinus of Tyre , a noted church historian, also has recorded a personal account as do other church historians such as Socrates and Sozemius.[3]
After being shipwrecked and captured at an early age, Frumentius was carried to Axum where he was treated well with his companion Edesius. At the time, there was a small population of Christians living there who sought refuge from Roman persecution. Once of age, Frumentius and Edesius were allowed to return to their homelands, however they chose to stay at the request of the queen. In doing so, they began to secretly promote Christianity through the lands.
During a trip to meet with church elders, Frumentius met with Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria who was second in line to the pope. After recommending that a bishop be sent to proselytize, a council decided that Frumentius be appointed as a bishop to Ethiopia.
By 430 AD, Frumentius returned to Ethiopia, he was welcomed with open arms by the rulers who were at the time not Christian. Ten years later, through the support of the kings, the majority of the kingdom was converted and Christianity was declared the official state religion.
[edit] Islam
Islam has adherents throughout Africa and it is one the most widely practiced religions on the continent. [4] Its historic roots in Africa stem from the time of its founder Muhammad whose relatives and followers migrated on a hijra to Abyssinia in fear of persecution from the pagan Arabs. Islam is the dominant religion in North Africa and the Horn of Africa, and it is also well established and prominent in the Sahel (particularly in northern Côte d'Ivoire, northern Ghana, southwest and northern Nigeria), and along the coast of East Africa. Islam continued a rapid growth into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Today, backed by gulf oil cash, Muslims have increased success in proselytizing, with a growth rate, by some estimates, that is twice as fast as Christianity in Africa.[5]
[edit] Judaism
There are several communities of African adherents of Judaism dispersed across the African continent, including the Beta Israel of Ethiopia, the Abayudaya of Uganda, the House of Israel in Ghana and the Lemba of Southern Africa.
[edit] Hinduism
The history of Hinduism in Africa is, by most accounts, very short in comparison to that of Islam, Christianity, or even Judaism. However, the presence of its practitioners in Africa dates back to pre-colonial times and even medieval times. There are sizable of Hindu populations in South Africa and the East African coastal nations.
[edit] Traditional religion
Traditional African religion encompasses a wide variety traditional beliefs. Traditional religious customs are sometimes shared by many African societies, but they are usually unique to specific ethnic groups. Many African Christians and Muslims maintain some aspects of their traditional religions.
Below are some of the African Traditional religions practiced in West Africa, for example: Rep. Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, amongst others.
1- There is Legba, the god of crossroads, who acts as a messenger to other gods. In downtown Cotonou, a gas station has gone up beside a famous shrine to Legba. At "Station Legba," as the sign says, you can fuel up and leave a priest instructions to pray for you.
2- Sango, the god of thunder, who acts and protects its loyal. It is better recognized with red and white attire for worship.
3- Orounmila/Eboh, this god is predominately worshiped in Benin Kingdom, and other cities in Nigeria. Mode of worship includes sacrificing of hen, kola nuts, turtles, white chalk and coconut while making chants in appealing the gods of Orounmila.
These individual religions are open for any African that doesn't want to be the religion that they are.
[edit] Aggregate estimates
| Region | Total population (2006) | % Christian | % Muslim | % Traditional | % Hindu | % Bahá'í | % Jewish | % No religion | % Atheist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Africa | 118,735,099 | 81.3% | 9.6% | 8.0% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 0.0% |
| Eastern Africa | 302,636,533 | 62.0% | 21.1% | 15.6% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| Northern Africa | 209,948,396 | 9.0% | 87.6% | 2.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.1% | 0.1% |
| Southern Africa | 50,619,998 | 82.0% | 2.2% | 9.7% | 2.1% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 2.7% | 0.3% |
| Western Africa | 274,271,145 | 59.1% | 21.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| Region | Total population | % Christian | % Muslim | % Traditional | % Hindu | % Bahá'í | % Jewish | % No religion | % Atheist |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica Book of the Year 2003. Encyclopedia Britannica, (2003) ISBN 9780852299562 p.306
According to the Encyclopedia Britanica, as of mid-2002, there were 376,453,000 Christians, 329,869,000 Muslims and 98,734,000 people who practiced traditional religions in Africa. Ian S. Markham,(A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 1996.) is cited by Morehouse University as giving the mid 1990s figure of 278,250,800 Muslims in Africa, but still as 40.8% of the total population. These numbers are estimates, and remain a matter of conjecture. See Amadu Jacky Kaba. The spread of Christianity and Islam in Africa: a survey and analysis of the numbers and percentages of Christians, Muslims and those who practice indigenous religions. The Western Journal of Black Studies, Vol 29, Number 2, June 2005. Discusses the estimations of various almanacs and encyclopedium, placing Britannica's estimate as the most agreed figure. Notes the figure presented at the World Christian Encyclopedia, summarized here, as being an outlier. On rates of growth, Islam and Pentecostal Christianity are highest, see: The List: The World’s Fastest-Growing Religions, Foreign Policy, May 2007. - ^ "The Africanization of Missionary Christianity: History and Typology", Steven Kaplan, Journal of Religion in Africa 16 (3) (1986), 165-186. In Africa, Islam and Christianity are growing - and blending. Abraham McLaughlin The Christian Science Monitor, 26 January 2006.
- ^ Hansberry, William Leo. Pillars in Ethiopian History; the William Leo Hansberry African History Notebook. Washington: Howard University Press, 1934.
- ^ http://www.bible.ca/global-religion-statistics-world-christian-encyclopedia.htm
- ^ http://www.newsfromafrica.org/newsfromafrica/articles/art_10733.html Islam making in-roads in Zambia
- ^ The Association of Religion Data Archives, Department of Sociology, Pennsylvania State University. 2006 regional figures. Note that the regions are NOT the United Nations standard. For instance, "Eastern Africa" includes most of the nations of East Africa, but also Zimbabwe, Madagascar Mozambique and Zambia. Angola is placed in Middle Africa, leaving this Southern Africa much smaller that the UN Southern Africa. Population figures and % of religious belief are from different sources, combined by the ARDA.
[edit] External links
- BBC
- Afrikaworld.net
- Text of "Atoms and Ancestors", considered a classic study
- Stanford Page
- African Religions at Africa Missions Resource Center
- "Bwiti: An Ethnography of the Religious Imagination in Africa", James Fernandez, Princeton University Press, 1982
- http://www.scn.org/rdi/kw-gods.htm
- The Meaning of Peace in African Traditional Religion and Culture
- Introduction to Afro-American Studies
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