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Early Spirituality in the Continent of AfricaBefore we indulge in early African spirituality, let us fast dispel the notion that Africa was not a spiritual continent. The very fabric of Africa's culture and traditions were highly rooted in their spiritual aspect, well-knitted into their cultures that it is impossible to separate these traditions and any other sphere of traditional life.The very early spirituality of Africa cannot be completed in this single discussion; therefore, we will look into them according to regions, that is;Eastern, Western,Southern cultures. The Early Spirituality of Eastern AfricaThe kind of spirituality we are focusing on here is the religion that existed way before the invasion of Christianity and Islam in the African Territory. Even back then Africans knew and acknowledged the fact that a supreme being existed, and they expressed this awareness in the manner in which they conducted their affairs.Gods had different names according to different cultures living in the vast lands of East Africa. ‘Rabana’ among the Tanzanians, ‘Ngai’ among the Agikuyus, ‘Nyasaye’ among the Luo among others. While the concept of religion was overall similar in most East African and the whole of Africa, different communities practised their spirituality slightly different from others. Gods were called in praiseworthy tone and description. While ‘Nyasaye’ means God among the Luo; Ratego(the strong one) was used to describe the power of god and acknowledge the superiority he held. To ask favours of gods therefore, the Africans mustered the art of praising them and doing their best to keep them happy. This gave rise to spiritual leaders or custodians that functioned as go between the people and the gods. They supervised and reminded people of the requirements or demands of these gods, ensuring that there were balance and harmony between the people and the supreme beings. In Eastern Africa, countries like Kenya, Uganda or even Tanzania, the notion of both good and bad spirits existed. These 3 countries share some tribes like the Maasai between Tanzania and Kenyan regions and the Luo tribes found in both Uganda and Kenya. You could easily attract the wrong spirit by disobedience and incur curses. Elderly people were known to pronounce curses that could affect someone's life. Parents would use such knowledge to instil fear in children and ensure that they toed the lineAncestors place Africas cultureThe elderly and the dead were respected and revered. Ancestors were incorporated with the living and their place and role well defined. When a child was born, for instance, a departed relative would be named according to different cultures. Sometimes a wrong naming would cause the child to cry continuously until the ancestor that wanted the child named after them was invoked.It was a bad Omen to call the name or even swear by one's ancestor when a person was not being honest or sincere. It was feared that the wrath of the departed would deal with the offender for invoking them in vain.Africans could easily invoke an ancestor whose help and protection they needed. It was, therefore, important to remain in good terms with them, and once in a while offer sacrifices to please and appease them. Some communities were so scared of the dead that no one dared say bad things about them for fear that their spirits were hovering around and could easily punish you for slandering them. The wholesomeness of an individual and good manner was expected of all member of the community. Some cultures even would punish someone who commits suicide by burying him or her away from the community or worse throw his corpse to the wild so that wild animal would devour him. Their spirits were considered troubled and not worthy to continue dwelling among the people.Planting and Harvesting SeasonWhen elders met for their different agendas, they prayed, by invocation and not necessarily through the Christian version of the prayer session. Elders of different communities were sorted after to give the go-ahead for the planting season to begin, much like the harvesting. In a homestead in the Luo culture, for instance, the head of the family would be the one to wake up at dawn and go to the farm before the planting season begin. None of his sons or daughters-in-law was permitted to initiate the planting season. The man would lay with his wife in intimacy and proceed with the planting seeds for planting. Only then would any of his offspring's do the same in their different farmlands. During harvesting, the first harvest would be brought to the homestead by the head of the family before anyone else in that homestead could bring in their harvest. Everyone was aware of this trend and no one dared violate it under any circumstance.During meals, a portion of the food would be dropped to the ground to thank the ancestors and invoke their blessing. This would be compared to the first harvest burnt offering that was sacrificed biblically to God as thanksgiving for an abundant harvest.Initiation into AdulthoodMany cultures had different ways to initiate their youth into adulthood. Among the Luhya and Kalenjin tribes of Kenya for instance, the initiates would have the foreskins chopped off, blood allowed to drip in the ground as a sign of the connection between them and the ancestors. Elders and spiritual leaders took the centre stage of this process and thoroughly prepared the initiates for this process, teaching them the cultural history and expectations of adulthood. A none initiate was disrespected and never regarded as a full member of a community. So much that they would not be allowed to take part in an important cultural event like becoming an elder or even offering advice to his friends.While different communities had different ways to conduct their initiation, the bottom line is that there was a connection between the initiates and a supreme being. The ceremony would include inviting the spirit of the departed relatives to take part and bless the initiates. This right of passage was therefore very important to Africa’s traditional continuity.Deity WorshipBefore any major communal undertaking like war, communities would turn to their deity for blessings and protection. There was complete surrender and belief that with such protection, the rate of casualty would be highly minimized. No community would dare attack another unless they were sure that their god was on their side.Such worship was not only a preserve of wartime but also done in case of drought and famine. Calamities such as illnesses were solved by seeking the intervention of gods and Africans were keen not only to ask of their needs but to fulfil the desires of the gods as well. The ancestors and the gods would sometimes demand that a certain sacrifice be conducted before a calamity was eliminated from the community. Spiritual leaders like witch doctors would communicate the demands of the gods to the people and oversee that such demands were well executed. Life and blood were sometimes sacrificed in exchange for good health and prosperity. This would be in the form of animals or human beings.Dispute ResolutionNo one community could claim to be devoid of conflict and in case of such, it became very apparent that Africa’s spirituality was entrenched in her daily lives. Sometimes the person causing trouble would not be directly known, and ancestors and the gods would have to come into play to positively identify such offenders. Oaths were therefore administered and woe unto you if you partake of such oath if you were guilty. You would either have an instant consequence or have a slow one. Members of your family would die one after another unless you confessed, or you would endure something terrible as an individual.There were some people believed to have the evil eye. There are countless situations where a child was nicely feeding on porridge and then a neighbour with an evil eye passes by and suddenly, the child would refuse to take that very porridge, start vomiting and even experience severe stomach ache. Such a child could be rushed to a herbalist who would reverse the evil thrown at such a child. The effect is that such a child might develop a permanent dislike for such food. There existed skilled herbalist who would make the evil return to the sender and bind her/him from repeating the evil on that child…..or sometimes expose them. Witches they are called. ***********************************************************************************East Africa had a great diversity of spirituality and gods. There were gods of rain, drought, good tiding and more. One god that controlled a certain sphere had to be consulted in case he was displeased about something and let loose its wrath among the people. Thankfully, the tradition allowed the people to identify and know what to do in case a problem arose as a result of gods doing. This is majorly why the elder’s role in communities was important and respected.While this does not exhaustively explain Africa’s spirituality, it gives an insight on how richly crafted religion was to the Africans.Author, Opondo Maureen ................
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