Religions enhance African spiritual traditions

By Alexis Yancey Jaami
New Thought News Service

The King of Benin represents the African traditional religion of Vodun (Voodoo) on Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa.

Curious about the dominance of outside religions in Africa, I went to the seminar, "Interfaith and the Future of Africa," and found only one traditional African religion represented.
That prompted me to ask the panelists how they felt about outside religions being more prominent than traditional religions in Africa. Their answers were intriguing:

Ishamael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation: "Athough we changed religions, we didn't change our culture, our relationship with spirit, nature. It's all part of the rich synergy of culture in Africa."

Lally Warren, Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'i in Botswana: "The Christianity I gained complements what I had before. I was raised in my African spiritual traditions and when I learned my new faith, I feel it added to the spiritual tradition I already had."

Margaret Lokawu, United Nations Forum on Indigenous Issues: "Africans still have strong ties to their African religions even though they may have Christian faith. Colonists thought our traditions were satanic, but they give us connection with our spirituality through Mother Earth."

   

Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi, General Secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches: "We build churches around the shrines of our old religions. You see our spiritual traditions at weddings, funerals, etc. We are Christians but in African clothing."

King Daagbo Hounon Houna II of Benin, of the Vodun or voodoo tradition: "We had to work hard and not lose faith to get our tradition recognized. Our National Day of Vodun is celebrated January 10. You don't have to be scared of this religion or Africa."

The panel members are part of Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa, established in 2002 as the result of an idea generated at the 1999 Parliament in South Africa.
Seven faith traditions are represented: Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Baha'i and the African traditional religion. The organization has helped to open churches, mosques and temples to other faiths, a first in Africa where most people have never been to other places of worship. The group is determined to bring peace to Africa.
"Our land has been troubled," Noko said. "Today we have to find again this peace.  We are born of the same sacred ancestors.  Why do we have to be separated?  We need to be together."
The organization's interfaith activities include communal prayer; the prayers come from all of the religions. And IFAPA has succeeded in preventing some discrimination; no religious tradition currently is banned from gathering in Africa.
IFAPA leaders are determined to reach ambitious goals.
"Africa is not going to be a launching pad for conflict," Noko said. "We're against using scriptures for enemy actions."

For their groundbreaking interfaith work in Africa, the Parliament honored IFAPA with the 2009 Paul Carus Award. The award is named for Dr. Paul Carus, a scholar, writer and publisher in the fields of religion, philosophy and science who was a key figure in the introduction of Buddhism to the West and a prominent organizer of the first Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1893 in Chicago.