Interesting Facts About African Traditional Religions

There is a lot to learn about African traditional religions, and a lot of interesting facts to explore.

African traditional religions are not static but very dynamic, largely because they are constantly reacting to various shifting influences such as old age, modernity and technological advances.

African traditional religions are not so much based on faith as they are based on lived traditions. This is seen in the fact that they are more concerned with rituals, ceremonies and lived practices, than they are with doctrines and belief systems.

It is because of this core concern that African traditional religions develop institutions for healing, commerce and general well-being of their own practitioners, as well as adherents of other religions.

A practitioner of African traditional religion is unlikely to attempt to convert a non-practitioner into his/her religious beliefs and practices. They simply believe in living their faith and attempting a peaceful coexistence with others who are of differing religious traditions that live among them.

African traditional religions have very profound internal gender relations and dynamics. Women, as well as men, play key roles in African religions as there many female goddesses, priestesses, diviners and other figures revered in African religious traditions and practices. The reverence of women, as well as men, in African traditional religions is so profound, that many feminist scholars have used these traditions as reference points to advocate for the rights of women in African societies. For indigenous African religions, the role of gender is complementary in such a way that a 'confluence of male and female forces must operate in harmony'.

As a result of these strong linkages, African religions provide a platform for humans to maintain constant and symbiotic relationships with their ancestors. These ancestors are understood to be intimately concerned and involved in their descendants' everyday affairs.