Orita · 1976 · 33 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesReligionReligious StudiesAfrican HistoryAfrican StudiesReligious AnthropologyAfrican MythologyAfrican Oral TraditionsAfrican ReligionsAfrican Traditional ReligionsEnslaved ReligionAfrican Indigenous ReligionAfrican Religious SymbolsAfrican Spiritual TraditionsAfrican TheologyAfrican-derived ReligionsAfricana TheologyTraditional African Religions
religion of the Africans. It is the religion that has been handed down from generation to generation by the forbearers of the present generation of Africans. It is not a fossil religion (a thing of the past), but a religion that Africans today have made theirs by living it and practicing it. This is a religion that has no literature, yet it is written everywhere for those who care to see and read. It is largely in the peoples' myths and folktales, in their songs and dances, in their liturgies and shrines and in their proverbs and pithy sayings. It is a religion whose historical founder is neither known nor worshipped; it is a religion that has no zeal for membership drive, yet it offers persistent fascination for Africans, young or old. What are the fundamental beliefs of the Africans? Succinctly put, they are: