CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
African traditional religion refers to the indigenous or autochthonous religion of the African people. It deals with their cosmology, ritual practices, symbols, arts, society and so on, because religion is a way of life, it relates to culture and society as they affect the world view of the African people.
THE REASONS WHY AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION IS STILL RELEVANT
1.Traditional African diviners are one of the best keepers of history and culture for Africans, academic, researchers, writers and general seekers of knowledge in the world over.
2.The African tradition entails the world view that has collectively sustained, enriched and given meaning to a continent and numerous other societies for centuries through it are epistemology, metaphysics, history, and the practices.
3. Cultism: the cultists groups usually known for their sovereignty in terrorism and their immortality, having the ability to appear and dis-appear.at time’s metals could do them no harm. All this powers are acquired from juju, to carry out dubious operations.
4. Security: most Africans particularly Nigerian farmers especially plantation farmers and that of yams, cassava etc. and the nomadic farmers in Africa mostly apply charms of adverse actions to any that may try to steal their products, most of this charms are been collected from juju.
5. Good and evil: in A.T.R evil includes both the physical and moral evils. God is the one who brings forth good, while human causes evil to themselves and others. Evil concerns any misfortune that befell an individual or community or any voluntary anti social behavior or any infringement of the decrees of God, the deities or ancestors. Evil is generally interpreted as the work of evil spirits, witches, sorcerers, or evil eyes, broken taboos, oaths or even the deities or ancestors.
6. When certain traditional cosmic and spirit powers and forces rules and regulations enshrined manifests, man is aware that many things do wrong and not all his expectations and needs are always met, consequently, there must be something wrong. Things can be corrected through reconciliation, restoration and the making of peace, therefore cosmic and spiritual harmony can be restored through the practice of sacrifices, offerings/gifts and even taboos etc
7. African traditional religion protocols is Still inevitable rules, doctrines, norms and customs that are referred to in the enthronement of African traditional rulers even though the personality may be a Muslim or a Christian, but tradition must be observed
8. Prior to the commitment of Africans in the traditional ceremonies and medications, it is obvious that Christianity and Islam co-exists harmoniously with traditional African religion
9.Most African Muslims and Christians still consult the traditional religion healers when someone is sick and participate in ceremonies to honor their ancestors
10. African traditional religion is still relevant in the sense that most Africans who adhere to Islam or Christianity also incorporates elements of indigenous African religion in to their lives, as most Africans still believe in the power of the jujus to protect them
There are four issues to be addressed in this study.
1. What is meant by the term African traditional religion (A.T.R.)?
2. What are the values of A.T.R in the age of science and technology, most especially in the area of traditional medicine?
3. What are the challenges confronting the survival and continuous existence of A.T.R?
4. Some suggestions shall be offered to further enhance the study of the religion.
The methodology to be adopted is phenomenological approach.
Adogbo opines that “a phenomenologist is identified by the way in which he goes about his work of attempting to understand and describe his environment.”2 Edmund Husserl describes “phenomenology as a “descriptive science’ which seeks to unfold the archaeological realities of the objects, beliefs and practices under study without presuppositions”3 In other words; we are to take into consideration the suggestions of Bolaji
Idowu in carrying out a serious study and investigation of people’s religion. The codes identified by Bolaji Idowu are: “caution, openness, sympathy, reverence and adaptability”4. These qualities were absent in the researches of the early European investigators who were accused of bias, ignorance, prejudice and lacking the necessary tools for an investigation into African religion5.
Scope of the study
The scope of study of this paper is Africa in general. However, the continent may be represented by Nigeria or West Africa. According to Awolalu “Africa is a large continent with multitude of nations, complex cultures, innumerable languages and myriads of dialects.”6 In fact, in most cases, references shall be drawn from the Yoruba people of South-western Nigeria to represent the African people; this is to avoid generalization of ideas because it is a large continent. Even in Nigeria, there are three major ethnic groups with many other minorities .There are about two hundred and fifty languages notwithstanding innumerable dialects.
The Yoruba have been well researched into with no less than three thousand five hundred works.7 The Yoruba are found in the present states of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Lagos and some parts of Kwara and Kogi. The sub-ethnic groups found in Yorubaland are: Ijebu, Oyo, Ife, Ijesa, Ondo, Akoko, Ekiti, Ikale, Ilaje, Egbado, Okun and Igbomina.8
Idowu posits that “the real keynote of the life of the Yoruba is neither in their noble ancestry nor in the past deeds of their heroes. The keynote of their life is their religion. In all things, they are religious”.9 This religious consciousness and understanding are found in all African societies. This paper shall focus on the challenges being faced by traditional medicine in Yorubaland. Unfortunately, magic, sorcery and witchcraft are often confused and misinterpreted with medicine. Some Christians associate African medicine with magic, sorcery and witchcraft, hence, their negative attitude to the use of herbs. However, the situation is changing gradually in Africa.
Objective of the study
The objective of this study therefore is to present African traditional religion as a living and not a fossil religion. According to Nigosian as quoted by Dopamu:
Many religions rose only to disappear quickly leaving little or no trace. Others flourished only as long as a particular civilization or nation flourished, but died with it. A few however were destined to persist as living religions to the present era.10
There is no doubt that the missionary propaganda of the foreign religions has drifted some practitioners of A.T.R away from the religion. The A.T.R is believed to be a religion brought about by God who is regarded as the Supreme Being. The Yoruba people call Him Olorun, Olodumare and Oluwa11.Apart from these names; there are numerous attributes that are ascribed to him. These are: the creator, king, transcendence and immanence. Others are: immortality, omnipotence and uniqueness.12. There is also the expression of God in proverbs, short statements, songs, prayers, names, myths, stories and religious ceremonies13.
Apart from the belief in the Supreme Being, the Yoruba also believe in some divinities and spirits. The divinities are classified into three groups i.e. the Primordial (Obatala, Orunmila, Esu and Ogun).These divinities are believed to be divinities of heaven14. They were with the Supreme Being from the creation of the universe. They partook in the creative work. The divinities are believed to have emanated from the Supreme-Being. The second classification of divinities is regarded as deified ancestors15. Some examples in this category are Sango, Orisa-oko and Ayelala16. The deified ancestors were human beings who had lived extra-ordinary and mysterious lives on earth, so much that when they died, they were deified as gods. The third category is personification of natural forces and phenomena17. The divinities in this category are the earth, rivers, lagoon and the sea.18 Others are mountains, hills, trees and wind. All these are found among the Yoruba.
Generally, there is a cordial relationship between the divinities and the Supreme Being. They are brought into being for a definite purpose which is to serve the will of God in the theocratic government of the World. In the Yoruba sociological interpretation of relationship between the traditional chief and his subjects, he was expected to be served by an Emese (intermediary) between him and his subjects.
It is necessary at this juncture to give a clear, not necessarily the most acceptable term for African traditional religion. In fact, African scholars have different views on the description of the religion. According to Dopamu “the indigenous religion of the Africans has been inconsistently labeled African traditional religion (ATR), African Religions, African Indigenous Religion (AIR), African Systems of Thought, and Primal Heritage.19 Scholars like Parrinder and Mbiti inconsistently used African Traditional Religion and African Religion, while Onibere insisted on African Indigenous Religion. However an erudite and acclaimed Professor of African religion, late Dopamu was consistent in the use of the term African Religion with the acronym “Afrel”20. However, we believe that the term African traditional religion is appropriate and acceptable because it is an indigenous religion that portrays the culture and customs of the people. Again the name distinguishes the religion from the foreign ones.