Ezesuokwu: Phenominological Approach to the Nature and Sources...

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PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE

NATURE AND SOURCES OF AFRICAN
TRADITIONAL RELIGION
Ezesuokwu, Johnpaul Ejike
Department of Religion
Kaduna State University, Kaduna
jp3ejike@gmail.com; 081316079325

Abstract
African Traditional Religion like other religions of the world has its own meaning, nature and
sources. There are negative perceptions that exist regarding African Religion. This paper
examines the meaning, nature and sources of African traditional Religion and points out
some of the derogatory terminologies directed towards African Religion. The study adopts
descriptive approach and relies on secondary sources. The study reveals that, African
traditional religion has been largely responsible for shaping the character and culture of
African people. To understand the religious life properly, one has to know their language. It is
important because, worship, prayers, sacrifices, offerings, blessings, curses, etc. are all done
in the local language by men and women who are trained for that purpose. These pass on their
knowledge to people in general and through training others to carry out the religious life of
their community. Even though certain derogatory terminologies are used in referring to the
African Religion, such are works of those who lack the knowledge of what African religion is
or know just a little about it. Thus, the paper argues that there is need for objective and
phenomenological approach to African Religion. This helps in understanding better the
religion of the African peoples.

Keywords: African, Religion, Nature, sources, meaning

Introduction
African traditional Religion like other religions of the world has its own meaning, nature and
sources. There are negative perceptions that exist regarding African Religion. Traditional
religion is part of African culture. Unlike in other world religions, traditional religion has no
one founder. It can be said to have arisen from the way of life within the traditional African
society. Thus, African Religion is based on oral traditions which are handed on by word of

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mouth from one generation to the other. Members of the society learn the tenets of the religion
through practical examples from generation to generation. This religion can also be learnt
through myths, folklores, informal stories about gods, goddesses, proverbs, songs,
conversational music and dance. This paper intendsto give an epistemological approach to
the subject matter by examining the meaning, nature and sources of African Religion and to
point out some of the derogatory terminologies directed towards African Religion.

Meaning of African Religion

African Religion also called African Traditional Religion is the Indigenous Religion of the
African people. Adasu subscribes to this line of thought by reiterating that African Religion is
the Religion of the African people and that it is qualified by the word traditional which refers
to indigenous. He further explains that a thing which is indigenous is that which is aboriginal,
foundational, or handed down from generation to generation.1 For Awolalu, African
Traditional Religion is the Religious beliefs and practices of the Africans. It is the Religion
which resulted from the sustaining faith held by the forebears of the present Africans and
which is being practiced today in various forms and various shades and intensities, by a large
2
number of Africans; including individuals who claim to be Muslims or Christians. It
therefore means that African Religion is still being practiced by men and women today as the
Religion of the forebears. It is not only a heritage from the past but also a living reality today.
This being the case, Adasu maintains that for most Africans, Religion is part and parcel of life;
an ontological phenomenon, dealing with existence of being. Thus, for the African and the
3
community to which he/ she belongs, to live is to be caught up in a Religious drama. African
Religion is the term used to describe the Religion that was founded by the forebears of
Africans, the term traditional is the most comprehensive title that best explains all the
Religious experiences and Religious features that were articulated and conserved by the
founders of various ethnic groups in Africa. African Religion is therefore not a borrowed
religion from any of the world Religions; rather it is a distinct religion with distinct features
which evolved gradually through the years from the practices and experiences of the
4
forebears.

1
Adasu, M.O. Understand African Traditional Religion. Part One. England: Dorset Publishing, 1983. 14
2
Awolalu, J.O. Studies in Comparative Religion Vol. 10, No. 2. Spring, 1976. 1
3
Adasu 14
4
Anyacho, E.O. Essential Themes in the Study of Religion. Ibadan: Niger Link, 2005. 242
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While African Religion is not a Religion of the books like the Koran or the Holy Bible; it is
nevertheless written on the hearts of Africans and can be seen in other sources which include:
songs, myths/legends, idioms, wise sayings and in arts/symbols. Various aspects of African
religion include the beliefs in God. This God is eternal, omniscient, holy, just, merciful,
faithful and transcendent. However, the perception of God and his attributes varies from one
ethnic group to the other. There is the belief in spirits, deities, Ancestors, magic, witchcraft,
traditional medicine etc.

The Term 'African': African Religion is called 'African' due to certain reasons. First, it is
called 'African' because it is indigenous, aboriginal, foundational, or handed down from
5
generation to generation. Again, the religion is part and parcel of African life. It was founded
by the Africans and is handed on from one generation to the other by word of mouth. The
religion has been in existence long ago before the advent of Islam and Christianity on the
African continent. Furthermore, it is only practiced by the Africans. The Africans are
6
"incurably religious people”. Mbiti believes that since there are a thousand and one ethnic
groups in Africa and each group has its own religion, African Traditional Religion should be
7
talked to in the plural. However, many other scholars of African Traditional Religion have
disagreed to this pointing to the fact of the similarities in beliefs and acts of worship including
the concept of God which cuts across all African nationalities.

African Religion is said to be 'traditional' due to many factors. African Religion is Traditional
because it is a religion and culture that is based on the life of the Africans. This pattern of life
has been handed on from their fore-fathers from generation to generation. Its mode of
worship, articles of faith, materials used for worship in temples, shrines and holy places are all
from the African local environment. The religion was founded by the Africans and it is
practiced by the Africans on the African soil. It is a community affair and not limited to an
individual. Religion is part and parcel of life in traditional African society. Religion permeates
all aspects of life be it politics, economics, education, etc. Thus, to be an effective member of
the community, one must belong to the religion of the land. Right from birth to death, religion
controls every aspect of life of the individual.

The Nature of African Religion

African Religion was born as a result of man's experiences and interaction with his

5
Adasu 15
6
Parrinder, E.G. West African Religion. London: Epworth Press, 1969. 9
7
Mbiti, John S. African Religions and Philosophy. London: Heinemann, 1969. 1
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environment. People wondered at the mysteries surrounding creations; the living rocks, trees,
rivers, plants, etc. They assumed that created things have an order and life itself seems to have
a pattern, the mystery of birth, growth and death. In seeking answers to these mysteries,
people came to realize that there is a Supreme Being somewhere who is in charge of all these.
He is all powerful, controller, and creator of everything. African Religion has no founder and
does not need a reformer because the religion emanated from the answers to the needs of the
8
African society. Religion is a fundamental, perhaps the most important influence in the life of
most Africans; yet its essential principles are too often unknown to foreigners who thus make
themselves constantly liable to misunderstand the African worldview and beliefs. Religion
enters into every aspect of the life of the Africans and it cannot be studied in isolation. Its study
has to go hand-in-hand with the study of the people who practice the religion.

When mention is made of African Religion, it means the indigenous religious beliefs and
practices of the Africans. It is the religion which resulted from the sustaining faith held by the
forebears of the present Africans, and which is being practiced today in various forms and
various shades and intensities by a very large number of Africans, including individuals who
claim to be Muslims or Christians.

Sources of African Religion

There are many questions that need answers as to the practice of African religion. Some of the
questions are: what are the sources of African religion? Where can we find African religion?
These questions form the crux of this work. African religion has no sacred writings coded in
one document as its source as do other world religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and
Hinduism, etc. Mbiti notes that there are possible three explanations of its origin. First, people
come to believe in God through reflecting on the universe. They reflected on the enormity and
continuity of the earth and the heavens. It seems to them that the universe must have someone
who looks after it, keeps it and sustains it. He must be the creator and without Him there could
be no universe. Secondly, people realize their own limitation. Man saw how his powers and
knowledge were particularly in the case of the face of death, calamity and the forces which
man could not control. This easily made them to speculate that there must be someone greater
than them and greater than the world, which has full control over it. Hence, people believe that
they needed the help of this Supreme Being in their experiences of limitation and
powerlessness.

8
Awolalu, J.O. Studies in Comparative Religion Vol. 10, No. 2. Spring, 1976. 35

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Thirdly, Africans also observed the forces of nature. As African looked atthe weather, storms,
thunder, lightning and other phenomena such as day and night, sun and moon etc, the Africans
began to associate the sky with a great God who is very close to man, supplying man's needs
such as rain for his land to produce abundant fruit.

The Africans have no creed to recite; their creeds are within them, in their blood and in their
hearts. Their beliefs about God are expressed through concrete concepts, attitudes, and acts of
worship.9 Therefore, the sources of African religions come in many ways. Ikenga- Metuh
explains that by implication, the full and authentic imports of African beliefs are best
appreciated when they are studied in life situations. Nevertheless, non-literate societies have
institutionalized devices for preserving and transmitting their norms, beliefs, and traditions.
He therefore categorized sources of African religion into groups thus; Art Forms, Institutions,
10
and Oral Traditions.

On the contrary, Shishima says that African religion “depends on the handing over of
information from generation to generation by word of mouth or practice”.11 According to him,
oral traditions can be grouped under two headings: the material and non-material sources. On
his part, Mbiti postulates that African religion is found in many sources such as rituals,
ceremonies, festivals, shrines, sacred places, proverbs, objects, art, symbols, music, dance,
riddles, wise sayings, names of people and places; myths, legends, beliefs, customs and all
aspects of life. 12 The sources of African Religion could be further classified into physical and
non-physical sources as follows:

Physical Sources
These are materials of worship that can be felt physically. They are mostly emblems of
worship found in places such as temples, shrines, groves, that form good sources for the study
of religion. Ikenga_Metuh in his analysis of the sources of African religion postulates that
sacred institutions are contributory sources. He said that there are many of these institutions in
every African society which have the imprint of traditional religious beliefs and practices.
Some institutions like the sacred kingship, priesthood, chieftaincy titles, initiation rites,
festivals and observances or taboos which are inspired and sustained by firmly held religious
13
beliefs. An example of the selection and initiation into the “Golden stool” of the Ashanti
Kingdom would suffice. Also, the initiation of the Tor-Tiv among the Tiv of Central Nigeria
9
Mbiti, John S. Introduction to African Religion.London: Heinemann, 1991. 167
10
Ikenga-Metuh, E. African Religious in Western Conceptual Schemes: The Problem of Interpretation
(Studies
11
in Igbo Religion). Ibadan: PI, 1985.25
Shishima, S.D. African Religion: A Bird's Eye View. Makurdi: Obetal Continental Press, 2014.66
12
Mbiti 19-27
13
Ikenga- Metuh 29
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after selection and before installation underscores the importance of institutions especially
kingship as a good source of African religious belief. They tell stories that teach about the
pattern of worship. Temples are used for worship such as the Ogboni society's temples unlike
the shrines which are places for offering sacrifices.

Shrines are not necessarily buildings. As such, some belong to a family, such as those
connected with departed members of the family or their graves. Others belong to the
community and these are often in groves, rocks, caves, hills, mountains, certain trees and
similar places. People respect such places and in some societies like the Tiv in the ate
iwa(blacksmith hut) no bird, animal or human being may be killed if he or she is hiding in
such places. No object is even taken out of the shrines or sacred places except the person
that took it into the shrine or place. They are marked with objects of worship in line with
their divinity. Shrines are usually found in groves and small clearings in the forests with
open and inner sections. It is at the shrine and other sacred places that people make or
bring sacrifices and offerings, such as animals, fowls, food, utensils, tools and money
where prayers are also made in reverence to God. The people consider these places as holy
as they meet God there. Some of the religious places are man-made while others are
natural and may be large enough to look like a big house and are secluded as well as
isolated from people's homes and fields.

Temples can contain shrines. Temples are small buildings of mud with two or three rooms, one
for the priest and the others for the emblems or religious arts for the communal shrine. Only
the priest can enter a shrine; worshippers normally stay in the outer part. Also, women,
visitors, and children are not allowed into the shrine. Shrines and temples have different kinds
of structure and furniture each of which reflects the beliefs and worship performed in them.14
Altars are sacred spots where offerings and sacrifices may be placed or made. They are
generally to be found inside the shrines or temples though they may be erected in the open.15

Religious articles and objects are very important physical sources of African religion. They
are found in all African societies. Some are tied round people's necks, legs, and waists. Some
are kept in pockets, bags, on house roofs, or gates leading into the home stead. Others are
swallowed and thought to remain in the stomach, or they are dug into the ground in the houses
and fields. There are other religious objects which people hide secretly wherever they may
think most convenient. In shrines and temples, these are of different kinds, shapes, and
colours.16 Art and symbols are invaluable sources for the study of African religious beliefs.
Often, these express religious ideas. Bascon expresses this thus:
14
Ikenga- Metuh 27
15
Anyacho 269
16
Shishima, 67
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Most African sculptures appear to have been associated with religion, which
pervades most aspects of African life. The religious genre include votive figures,
which adorned shrines, reliquary figures, charms figures, stools used in initiation to
the cults, the apparatus for divination, dance staff, musical instruments and a variety
of other ritual paraphernalia.17
This agrees with the fact of religious ideas found in art and symbols. We find it on wood,
stools, calabashes, stones, sticks, pots, handicrafts, domestic animals, and human bodies. It is
expressed in the form of masks and carvings on wood, ivory and stone. These oral crafts,
paintings, carvings, moldings, engravings and artistic works in shrines and sacred places;
each artistic work reveals the culture of a particular environment and its religious practices.

Symbols work hand in hand with artwork. There are many kinds of them. They are
represented by insects, birds, animals, certain trees, figures, shapes, numbers and colours
of all kinds, masks and carvings. Among some African people, for instance, the presence
of a palm frond near a house or by the road symbolizes the death of a person, and in some
areas, the presence of a chameleon on the road or inside the house is a symbol of bad omen
or death. Different localities have their symbols and there are some that can only be
interpreted by few individuals such as those used in initiation, divination and secret
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societies. Generally, religious ideas have created many of the symbols and in turn the
symbols themselves help to communicate and strengthen the religious ideas.

Non-physical Sources
In the absence of writing, arts become necessary to employ oral traditions as means of
preserving and transmitting cherished traditional religious beliefs and practices. These non-
physical source forms include myths, legends, folklore, proverbs, names, riddles, festivals,
prayers, blessings or curses, liturgies, recitals, formulae of invocations, music and dance,
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beliefs and customs, oaths, spells and so forth. The reliability of these forms of oral tradition
as vehicles of the authentic beliefs of people varies. In summary, the non-physical sources
discussed here are music and dance, proverbs, riddles and wise sayings, names of people and
places, myths and legends, beliefs and customs and in all aspects of life.

Music and Dance

A lot of African music and songs deals with religious ideas and practices. The religious ritual
ceremonies and festivals are always accentuated by music, singing, and sometimes dancing.
Music provides leeway to the emotional expression of religious life, and it is a powerful means

17
Ikenga-Metuh 27
18
Shishima 67
19
Mbiti. African Religions. 58-74
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of communication in African traditional life. It helps ooze out their hearts to God, deities and
divinities as expressed in fellowship and participation in life. Many musical instruments are
used in this regard by African peoples. The music and dance symbolize the mood at the point
in time. It could be sober mood as in times of death, anxiety and suffering; it could be joyous as
in celebrating success in harvest or war, etc. This shows the power of music and dance in
retaining and spreading religious ideas for a long period of time.

Proverbs, Riddles, and Wise Sayings

There is a rich store house of proverbs in Africa enshrined in ancient wisdom, beliefs and
accumulated experience of past generations. Proverbs are short sayings with semiotic
relationship to African religion. They contain religious beliefs, ideas, morals and warnings.
They speak about God, the world, man, human relationships, the nature of things etc. They are
set within a cultural and social milieu of the people who have produced them and use them.
Many people know a lot of proverbs and are skillful in using them.20 Many of them go back to
several generations since proverbs are easily passed on from one person to another. Some of
the proverbs say if you want to tell God, tell it to the wind, God is in front, He is at the back,
God drives away files for a tailless cow, an enemy may sound the drum of your downfall, but
God would not let it sound, etc. Riddles are used as a source of entertainment, and riddles
stimulate people's thinking. Some of them also contain religious ideas. Wise sayings are often
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about the world in general, viewed from the religious and moral perspectives.

Names of People and Places

Many African names of people and places have meanings. The importance of names as
sources of African religion derives from the significance and import of names among
.22
Africans. For Africans as for the Romans, Nome est omen (a name is an omen) There is a
strong conviction that there is a close connection between the person and his name. These
meanings are often religious. These names mark religious ideas and experiences. In most
African societies, it is generally believed that, if a person's real name is known, it will be easy
to bless the person, or harm him/her by magic or it becomes easy to know the cause of his/her
problem through divination. Some names may commemorate historical events in the family
or country. Names may also express parent's state of mind, their anxieties, joys, fears and
hopes. Others are affirmations of religious beliefs or expressions of prayerful wishes. There
are many names all over Africa which have religious meanings. Therefore, we can infer that,
20
Shishima 15
21
Mbiti, Introduction Afri.Rel. 24
22
Ikenga-Metuh 35
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African Religion is found in names of people and places. This shows the influence of religion
in the life of the people. It also shows that people with such names are in effect religious
carriers. Among the Tiv, names like Aondohemba (God is great) Aondongu (God is present),
Aondovavenga (God never sleeps) express the omnipotence of God in African religion.

It is worthy of note that, every African people have a set of beliefs and customs. Beliefs are not
always essential part of religion. Customs are not always religious, but many contain religious
ideas. Religion helps to strengthen and perpetuate some of the customs; and in turn the
customs do the same to religion.Beliefs and customs often together cover all areas of life.
Beliefs generally deal with religious ideas, customs deal with what people normally approve
of and do. The beliefs are: beliefs in God, spirits, deities, divinities, ancestors, witchcraft,
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totems, practices of magic and medicine etc. These beliefs form part of African religion,
though religion covers more than that. These beliefs are handed down from generation to
generation, sometimes with modifications, but embellished in the hearts of Africans. The
beliefs and customs inspire Africans to the point that, even when they are converted to other
religions, they still retain many of their former beliefs since it is hard to destroy beliefs.
Therefore, it is good to understand people's beliefs well, because it is these beliefs which
influence their behaviour. Other areas of belief are in politics, economics, science etc.

Wrong Nomenclatures and Derogatory Terminologies

While we commend the effort of the foreign investigators for committing to writing their
investigations about African Religion, we need to point out that a great number of them used
misleading terms in describing the people's beliefs. Such terms include: primitive, savage,
fetishism, juju, heathenism, paganism, animism, idolatry, polytheism and pantheism.Let us
examine some of them.

Primitive
Primitive pertains to the beginning or origin; original; first; old fashioned; characterized by
the simplicity of old times. It should be obvious from the dictionary meaning that this word
cannot be appropriate in describing the religion of Africa or those who practice the religion.24
In what sense can we describe the people as old fashioned or describe their religion as simple?
The idea behind the use of such an expression is engendered by racial pride. The Western
scholar making the investigation wanted to distinguish between his society (which is regarded
as civilized) and the other society which is not civilized but old-fashioned-just because such a
23
Anyacho 244
24
Idowu, E. Bolaji. African Traditional Religion: A Definition. London: SCM, 2005. 94
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society does not have or adopt the same norm as that of the investigator. Anthropologists and
sociologists like to justify their use of the word on the ground that the culture is adjudged to be
that which is original in the history of the human race (Shishima 24). African Religion has
been evolving; there is in it the element of continuity as well as discontinuity. Since it is a
religion practiced by living persons today, changes are to be expected. Thus, strictly speaking,
African religion in its pristine form is no longer in existence. Every aspect of it cannot be
described as original. Whatever happens, the use of the word primitive by Western scholars is
derogatory and, therefore, obnoxious.

Savage
This refers to what is 'pertaining to the forest or wilderness; wild; uncultured; untamed
violent; brutal; uncivilized; untaught; rude; barbarous; inhuman.' In one word, savagery is the
opposite of civilization. Our remarks are the same as we indicated under primitive. We should
also add that there is an element of savagery in every one of us and it should not be made the
exclusive trait of a particular people.25

Fetishism
What does fetish mean? Linguists claim that the word is of Portuguese origin. The early
Portuguese who came to Africa saw that the Africans used to wear charms and amulets and so
they gave the name feitico to such things. This is the same word as the French fetiche. The
dictionary meaning of fetish is any 'object, animate or inanimate, natural or artificial, regarded
by some uncivilized races with a feeling of awe, as having mysterious power residing in it or
as being the representative or habitation of a deity. Hence, fetishism is the worship of, or
emotional attachment to inanimate objects. But Rattray corrected this wrong notion of the
early investigators when he said:
Fetishes may form part of an emblem of god, but fetish and god are in themselves
distinct, and are so regarded by the Ashanti; the main power, or the most important
spirit in a god comes directly or indirectly from Nyame, the Supreme God, whereas the
power or spirit in a fetish comes from plants or trees, and sometimes directly or
indirectly from fairies, forest monsters, witches, or from some sort of unholy contact
with death; a god is the god of the many, the family, the clan, or the nation. A fetish is
generally personal to its owner.26
It is clear then that it would be quite wrong to describe the religion of Africa as fetishism.
There may be an element of this in the day-to-day life of the Africans, but it is incorrect to
describe it all as fetishism. Many writers used the word indiscriminately to the extent that
prayers that are said during worship by Africans have also been described as fetish prayers; the
25
Idowu 94
26
Idowu 94
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functionaries of a cult described as fetish priests and herbs prepared by African priests have
been labeled fetish herbs not medical preparations, however effective such herbs may be;
taking of oath has been described as fetish. The word fetish is a most ambiguous word, and the
time has come for all serious writers and speakers to abandon it completely and finally.27

Paganism and Heathenism

These concepts' paganism' and 'heathenism' are considered together because the meanings
applied to them are similar, if not identical. The word pagan is from the Latin word paganus
meaning peasant, village or country district; it also means one who worships false gods; a
heathen. But when the meaning is stretched further, it refers to one who is neither a Christian,
a Jew nor a Muslim. A heathen is one who inhabits a heath or possesses the characteristics of a
heath dweller. These words are not correct in describing the indigenous religion of Africa
because the people are religious and they do believe in the Supreme Being. If the only
religious people are the adherents of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, then, the other world
religions become either heathen or pagan, and so, uncivilized.28 Presumably, these terms are
used in an attempt to distinguish between enlightenment and barbarity. What has this to do
with religion? Such terms are more sociological than religious.

Animism
The great advocate of the theory of animism was Tylor in his Primitive Culture. Many writers
still describe the African Religion as animistic. This means attributing a living soul to
inanimate objects and natural phenomena. From the study of African Religion, there are
unmistakably elements of animism. For example, the Iroko tree is not an ordinary tree; it is
believed to be inhabited by a spirit; the Osun River (in Western Nigeria) is believed to be more
than an ordinary river because the spirit (Osun) dwells in it and this makes the river
29
efficacious in many respects, especially during barrenness. Lightning and thunder are
manifestations of the thunder god. But when we have said this, we also need to add that it
would be wrong to categorize the whole religion as animism. Every religion has some beliefs
in the existence of a spirit or spirits.30 Even Christianity sees “God as Spirit, and they that
worship him are to worship him in spirit and truth”. In other words, animism is a partial
definition of every religion. But to say that the African Religion is animistic would not be
correct.

27
Idowu 94
28
Shishima 27
29
Mbiti
30
Shishima 24

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Idolatry
Idol means false god; and so, idolatry is the worshipping of false gods or that which is not real.
The word idol is used to describe the object which is an emblem of that which is worshipped
by the Africans. The object may be a piece of wood or iron or stone. These objects are
symbolic. Each of them has a meaning beyond itself, and therefore is not an end in itself. It is
only a means to an end. If, for example, a piece of wood representing Obatala (a Yoruba deity)
is eaten by termites, the worshippers of Obatala will not feel that their god has been destroyed
by the termites, because the piece of wood is only a symbol, serving as a visible or concrete
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embodiment of that which is symbolized. Symbolic representation is not peculiar to African
Religion. It is found in most religions. It is used principally to aid man's perception and
concentration and to remind the worshipper of the divine presence. If this is the object of the
symbol, it must be wrong to describe it as an idol. But experience shows that material
representation often becomes a danger in religion when the worshippers make the emblems
an end in themselves. In this way, the difference between the material object and the reality
represented by it becomes obscured.

African Religion is not essentially idolatrous, but it has a tendency to become so if the cult and
the symbols of the divinities are so emphasized as to exclude the Supreme Being. The various
divinities that are represented are in fact technically representatives or servants of the
Supreme Being. It needs to be emphasized that the Supreme Being cannot be represented like
the divinities. We must also point out that, to the Africans, the material has meaning only in
terms of the spiritual. It is the spiritual that gives meaning and importance to the visible
material object. The symbols or emblems may fall into disuse or crumble or be replaced, but
the spiritual entity represented never changes.

Polytheism
Parrinder holds the opinion that in West Africa:
Men believe in great pantheons of gods which are as diverse as the gods of the Greeks
or the Hindus. Many of these gods are the expression of the forces of nature, which
men fear or try to propitiate: These gods generally have their own temples and priests,
and their worshippers cannot justly be called animists, but polytheists, since they
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worship a variety of gods.
Here, while Parrinder was trying to discourage the use of the term animism in connection
with the religion of Africa, he created another problem by suggesting the term polytheism. It

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Shishima 24
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 Ezesuokwu: Phenominological Approach to the Nature and Sources...
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could be understood what the problems are. In a proper polytheism, the gods are all of the
same rank and file. The difference between that type of polytheism and the structure of
African Religion is that in Africa the Supreme Being is not of the rank and file of the
divinities. The origin of the divinities can be traced; the divinities can be represented; they are
limited in their power; they came into being by the power of the Supreme Being who is
unique, wholly other and faultless and who owes His existence to no one. The Africans do not
and cannot represent Him in the form of an image as they can do with the divinities.

Parrinder made this mistake because in his West African Religion, he claimed that the
Supreme God or Creator is sometimes above the gods, sometimes first among equals. This is
not correct because the Yoruba, for example, never rank the Supreme Being, Olodumare with
the divinities (orisa), neither do the Edo confuse Osanobuwa with the divinities (ebo). The
truth of the matter is that Africans hold the Supreme Being as a venerable majesty who has
several servants (the divinities) under Him to carry out His desires. This is why it is not
appropriate to describe the religion as polytheistic.

The best interpreter of African Religion is the African with a disciplined mind and the
requisite technical tools with the view to discover what Africans actually know, actually
believe, and actually think about deity and the supersensible world. There is a world of
difference between this and what any investigator, at home or abroad, prescribes through
preconceived notions that Africans should know, believe and think. It is also to find out
how their beliefs have inspired their worldviews and mould cultures in general.33

Recommendations
The paper recommends that:
1. African religion be recognized by scholars like other world religions.
2. Rather than giving African religion derogatory names, philosophical investigation
be made in order to establish its true nature and practice.
3. African philosophers should endeavor to project the philosophy of African
religion.

Conclusion
From the foregoing, the paper establishes the nature and sources of African life that lead to the
African religion. These lead us to conclude that it encompasses life in totality. African
religion has been largely responsible for shaping the character and culture of African people

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throughout centuries past and in centuries to come. Being truly religious is a cultural heritage
of the Africans and this is found in the local languages. Therefore, to understand the religious
life properly, one has to know their language.It is important because, worship, prayers,
sacrifices, offerings, blessings, curses, etc. are all done in the local language by men and
women who are trained for that purpose. Such people pass on their knowledge to other people
through training them to carry out the religious life of their community. Even though certain
derogatory terminologies are used in referring to the African Religion, such are works of
those who lack the knowledge of what African religion is or know just a little about it. Thus,
the paper argues that there is need for objective and phenomenological approach to African
Religion. This helps in understanding better the religion of the African peoples.

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A Publication of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya, Anambra State, Nigeria