Fardon, Richard A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. They form a chain through the links of which the forces of the elders [now with the community] exercise their vitalizing influence on the living generation. For Magesa, the ancestors are primarily authority figures whose being implies moral activity in that they are the maintainers and enforcers of norms of social action. Although they are entrusted with these roles in their relationship with humans, any capriciousness of the ancestors is not taken kindly by the living, just as it would not be acceptable from any elder in society. The ancestors are beyond reproach. African spirituality simply acknowledges that beliefs and practices touch on and inform every facet of human life, and therefore African religion cannot be separated from the everyday or mundane. This order, according to Mbiti, is knowable to humans, by nature. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. $70.00/$25.00. Human beings are the link between the heavens and the earth, between the visible and the invisible universe. For instance, if we were to lose indigenous African religions in Africa, then diviners would disappear, and if diviners disappeared, we would not only lose an important spiritual specialist for many Africans, but also an institution that for centuries has been the repository of African history, wisdom, and knowledge. Hence, it cannot be avoided in the interaction between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. One scholar who has written extensively on African Traditional Religion is John Mbiti, a Kenyan whom many consider the dean of living African theologians. Has data issue: true This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. stream
Authoring or editing more than half a dozen books on religion and African culture (including the recent African Religions: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press), Olupona has researched topics ranging from the indigenous religions of Africa to the religious practices of Africans who have settled in America. As I have discussed elsewhere in Morality Truly Christian, Truly African, for example, some African societies are so conscious of the implications of crossing the line on some ethical matters, like adultery, incest, and murder, that anyone who engages in these acts is considered automatically to be putting the very survival of the community in danger. Africans believe in the existence of a mystical, invisible, hidden, spiritual power in the universe. The bottom line then is that Africans who still wholly practice African indigenous religions are only about 10 percent of the African population, a fraction of what it used to be only a century ago, when indigenous religions dominated most of the continent. It is also present in relationships between persons, based on age and function. GAZETTE: What is the state of indigenous African religions today? Whilst interacting with the local African indigenous communities, and observing, The contact between African Traditional Religion (ATR) and Christianity is inextricably linkedto European economic activities that culminated into colonialism. For example, an African amulet might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. Baptismis by being sprinkled on water or being dipped in water. He later earned both an M.A. But today that is not the case due to more exclusive-minded types of Christianity and Islam that see patronizing indigenous African beliefs and practices as violating the integrity of their Christian or Muslim principles, but I believe that one can maintain ones religious integrity and also embrace an African worldview. But it is also the strict commitment, to the observance of certain (written or unwritten) divinely inspired moral prescriptions or codes of ethics, promulgated by the religious authorities and enforced by sanctions. Whenever. The contact was in fact,between two. These facts, however, does not necessary suggest that the educated Ghanaian has totally abandoned tradition; some educated and mission trained individuals do consult traditional oracles in times of crises. The defining line between deities and ancestors is often contested, but overall, ancestors are believed to occupy a higher level of existence than living human beings and are believed to be able to bestow either blessings or illness upon their living descendants. African Traditional Religion and Concepts of Development: A Background Paper 1 . GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? 1xxp~I7m#MWjxAqN,PT2^]R6C3Y'K~Bwv4-xwE@;5 How digital misinformation may keep you from a good nights sleep, Study finds surgical patients with addiction issues may be at greater risk for complications, including sudden cardiac death after anesthesia, Khalil Gibran Muhammad says College Board needs to stand firm behind curriculum, Chief counsel of respected mid-70s Senate inquiry into improper federal investigations says credibility of oversight function at stake, 2023 The President and Fellows of Harvard College. as a burnt offering. OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. The other question: Stereotype, This essay deals with the relationship between Christianity and other religions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Their purpose is to summarize recent material produced by the relevant religious organizations and by some of the main academic interpreters to provide When they pray they maykneel down, bow their heads or lift their hands up. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. (I myself have consulted with several diviners for my research on specific academic topics regarding African culture and history; consequently, if we were to lose Africas diviners, we would also lose one of Africas best keepers and sources of African history and culture. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. I answered two, The paper discusses the state of traditional African religion in post-apartheid South Africa. The position I critique in this paper is really a complex of closely overlapping positions, some more theoretically sophisticated or better grounded empirically than others.1 Their central thrust is to emphasize the similarities rather than the differences between current movements in the world religions, particularly Christianity and Islam, but also to a lesser extent in Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism. Just as within the traditional political and diplomatic contexts, one cannot formally contact the king without the agency of his linguists or sub-chiefs. Since God is seen as the Creator, various aspects of the universe are permeated by the sense of the sacredthe religious mentality affects the way people see the universe. <>>>
Wendy Sherman, who was the lead U.S. negotiator in the nuclear deal with Iran, was welcomed by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School. One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. OLUPONA: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa. Such a project, however, is only significant if it is not only executed by religious leaders, By clicking accept or continuing to use the site, you agree to the terms outlined in our. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. Christians acknowledge the existenceof magic and witchcraft. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Learn more about the similarities and differences of the religious systems of Africa, including indigenous religions, Abrahamic, Islamic, and Christian beliefs of people in the region. The Supreme Being is usually thought of as remote from daily religious life and is, therefore, not directly worshipped. This order, established by God, guides the functioning of the universe, preventing it from falling into chaos; and it ensures the continuance of life and the universe itself. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential. <>
x + 306. Traditional Africans did not practice baptism. By Greens own admission, and as we shall see later, there are as many divergences on the architectonic hinge of these deep structuresGod, the human person, and the materialworldas there are similarities. This work investigates the conflicts existing between the two . To ensure that a natural balance is maintained between the world of the sacred and that of the profane, the roles of the chief within the state, family elders in relation to the lineage, and the priest within society, are crucial. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Mission Manual Pages Section A Biblical Basis of Mission 1 20, E-journal of Religious and Theological Studies, TITLE A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SALVATION IN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY: TOWARDS DEVELOPING AN EVANGELISTIC MODEL IN SPECIAL REFERENCE TO TUENSANG DISTRICT CHAPTER ONE, Baptism and Original Sin in the Early Church : contributions of Tertullian, THE UNIQUELY CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW - Ethington Book, CHRISTIANITY AND AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION IN KUMASI: A COMPARATIVE STUDY Department of General Art Studies, SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY @BULLET An Introduction to Bible Doctrine @BULLET, Monotheism in the Qur'an and in the New Testament: Comparative Theological Explorations of the Role of Prophets and the Covenants. Acknowledgements, Introduction: Locations of culture, 1. 2 0 obj
The spirit medium is required to possess moral probity and integrity. Rooted in the belief in God as the Creator, Africans believe in various dimensions of the created universe, such as visible and invisible (the spiritual realm), heavenly (skyward) and earthly (and in some ethnic groups there is a belief in the underworld). His research has helped to introduce and popularize new concepts in religious studies, such as the term reverse missionaries, referring to African prelates sent to Europe and the United States. For example, in 14 of the 19 countries surveyed, more than three-in-ten people say they sometimes consult traditional healers when someone in their household is sick. This happened in the past, and these codes were stipulated, considered sacred and binding, by the community leaders: The moral and religious order in the universe is articulated and expressed in a variety of taboos and customs that prohibit specific actions contravening such order. Magesa discusses the African tradition in its various manifestations: its understanding of the human person and of life in general; aesthetics, politics, ethics, and of course religion, which he shows to be the architectonic basis of these other expressions or manifestations of African tradition. Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. %
But as we learnt in Unit One, Christians can also worship Him attheir homes or other places. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. A Journal of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, by Paulinus Ikechukwu Odozor The numerous traditional African religions have in common the notion of a creator god, who made the . Mystical power is found in all of them, in diminishing degrees. Therefore, these traditional theologians condemned those who said, ATR and similar non-western religions are followed by irrational or foolish people who in their stupidity bow down to stones, trees and rivers instead of the Creator who created such objects and themselves. The commitment to theory, 2. I utilised this view as hermeneutical point. The introduced religions of Islam (in northern Africa) and Christianity (in southern Africa) are now the continents major religions, but traditional religions still play an important role, especially in the interior of sub-Saharan Africa. Ifa is an indispensable treasure trove of knowledge that cant be duplicated elsewhere; much of its knowledge has been handed down from babalawo [Ifa priest/diviner] to babalawo for centuries. For example, followers can seek spiritual direction and relief from healers, medicine men and women, charms [adornments often worn to incur good luck], amulets [adornments often used to ward off evil], and diviners [spiritual advisers]. :t\.1biti's approach assumes that "Christianity comes to enhance African traditional religions." This implies that there is no tension between the major elements of African Traditional Religions and the major claims of Christianity." 19 Part one looks briefly at the matter of religion itself. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. Traditional Africans believed in the power of magic and medicinemen. A third scholar of interest to us here is Laurenti Magesa, the central thesis of whose book on African religion is captured quite succinctly in the subtitle: African religion constitutes a tradition of abundant life. Furthermore, the issue is whether a strict order of retribution cannot be tolerated if human ambition gets in the way of realizing enduring moral virtue and well-being. A sacrifice refers to an animal that is offered to God, e.g. psC68k}(`eMTO}
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vFK](S?I.$@\$OC(N#a6oJc!0 sm!$!'TGzmSvw)+Na?1s K{o?!I These spirit do not carry the desires of humans to the Creator God. For instance, the Yoruba religion has historically been centered in southwestern Nigeria, the Zulu religion in southern Africa, and the Igbo religion in southeastern Nigeria. Christians do not offer animal sacrifices to appease God. However, Christians can offer animals to the church where they canbe sold or reared to give the church income. Many laws, customs, set forms of behavior, regulations, rules, observances and taboos, constituting the moral code and ethics of a given community, are held sacred, and are believed to have been instituted by God.Furthermore, a person acts in ways that are good when he or she conforms to the customs and regulations of the community, or bad when he or she does not. Their significance lies in the genealogical positions and the rights and duties which derive from them. Ancestors uphold right conduct by punishing moral violations, demanding respect and attention, and getting angry when not given due respect. Religion is closely bound up with the traditional way of African life; therefore, religion has shaped the lives of Africans, at the same time life has shaped religion as well. An important preoccupation of Mbitis work has been to show that knowledge of God and the worship of God have been staples of African life from the earliest times on the continent. To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds toupgrade your browser. endobj
It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. In the Ewe thought they are called Vodou (Vodu or Vudu in Benin and Togo; also Vodon, Vodoun, Voudou, or other phonetically equivalent spellings. Christ is the Mediator between Humans and God In African Traditional Religion ancestral spirits, and lesser gods, are usually the spirits that communicate with humans on earth. These laws are controlled by God directly or indirectly through Gods intermediaries. According to Mbiti, Africans came to believe in God by reflecting on their experience and through observation of the created universe. He then reflects on five "essential aspects" of. Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. Today Christians worship Godmainly in churches. They trust God for their healing. I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. You can download the paper by clicking the button above. All work unless implicitly stated is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Pentecostalism and Shamanism in Asia and Beyond, A Critical Analysis of Byang Kato's Demonology and Its Theological Relevance for an Evangelical Demonology, INITIATION IN AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION, Veli-Matti Karkkainen, Kirsteen Kim, Amos Yong: Interdisciplinary and Religio-Cultural Discourses on a Spirit-Filled World, Encounter - Journal of African Life and Religion, 12 (2017), REGNUM STUDIES IN MISSION Pentecostal Mission and Global Christianity An Edinburgh Centenary Reader, Van Rheenen, Gailyn: Missions - biblical foundations. While both Christianity and African religion have a concept of a Supreme Being,Christians believe in a God who exists in three persons. They did this as theyoffered libation by pouring water or any other drink to the ground. For starters, the word religion is problematic for many Africans, because it suggests that religion is separate from the other aspects of ones culture, society, or environment. That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over. However, they do not seek the services of magicians orwitchdoctors. Traditional Africans made images of the Supreme God or other supernatural beingswhich they worshipped. Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. For example, sickness in the indigenous African worldview is not only an imbalance of the body, but also an imbalance in ones social life, which can be linked to a breakdown in ones kinship and family relations or even to ones relationship with ones ancestors. Barrenness is, therefore, considered a great misfortune because it prevents ancestors from returning to life. There are untold millions, which are outside the fold who need to come into the saving knowledge of Christ. Everywhere he went in southwestern Nigeria, he never opposed or spoke out against African culture including initiation rites, festivals, and traditional Yoruba dress as long as it didnt directly conflict with Christianity. For instance, in the southern Volta Region of Ghana, and in Togo and Benin, thousands of young girls of the Ewe (say Ay-vay) tribe are held as slaves in unspeakable conditions under a traditional religion belief called the trokosi system or wives of the ancestral gods. 1 0 obj
In the part two of my writing, l will expand on the world populated by spirits called Vodou alongside that of the Akan. Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. For this reason, they can come to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through the teaching of the Word of God because it is home going time. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Much of Oluponas work is an attempt to provide a fuller understanding of the complexity and richness of African indigenous thought and practice by viewing it not as a foil or as a useful comparative to better understand Western religions, but as a system of thought and belief that should be valued and understood for its own ideas and contribution to global religions. Some traditional African societies like the Yoruba believed in the existence of lessergods. 3 0 obj
Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. Also, how the Christian organizations help free women and girls from the grip of slavery. "useRatesEcommerce": false Interrogating identity: Frantz Fanon and the postcolonial prerogative, 3. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. May the Lord assist us to know the truth and walk in it. There is even a community deep in the American Bible Belt in Beaufort County, S.C., called Oyotunji Village that practices a type of African indigenous religion, which is a mixture of Yoruba and Ewe-Fon spiritual practices. When one becomes a Christian he/she is baptised. African spirituality simply acknowledges that beliefs and practices touch on and inform every facet of human life, and therefore African religion cannot be separated from the everyday or mundane.. They are not mutually exclusive. To understand African tradition, one needs to understand the position of African Traditional Religion on God, the human person, and creation. Therefore, the universe has dimensions of order and power as follows: first of all, there is order in the laws of nature. A classicatory system which attempts to distinguish the principal responses GAZETTE: How would you define indigenous African religions? There are also the lesser gods that take residency in streams, rivers, trees and mountains. 1"7$X9Xyyyb GNpL!9I&mxo0++44cA@5c. I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. Christians do not believe in the existence of any other godapart from the Supreme Being. Everything is said to center on them. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. These shrines were built near waterbodies, next to big trees or near other sacred places. Despite the presence of Christianity, traditional religions in Ghana have retained their influence because of their intimate relation to family loyalties and local mores. Secondly, there is moral and religious order. These include the pragmatic nature of the African cultural and religious heritage, and the African traditional methods of healing. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer, By Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent. Neglect, it is believed, might spell doom. In this paper, I interrogated the Gabola church in terms of its origins, purpose and its distinctiveness as a postcolonial manifestation of freedom of religion in South Africa. Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest. The Yoruba believe in the existence of the Supreme God called Olurun andthe lesser god, Obatala. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Like Mbiti and Green, Magesa notes that the world of African Traditional Religion is a hierarchically ordered place where, On the lowest rung of the ladder are spirits, who are active beings distinct from humans and reside in nature and phenomena such as trees, rivers, rocks, or lakes. Green points out that there is a rational basis to African Traditional Religion that shows, in Kantian terms, that there is a deep structure of universal moral and religious reason to it. The three requirements of reason at the heart of this structure are: first, a basic rule or procedure of moral choice; second, a metaphysic grounding the possibility of strict moral retribution; and third, . For myself, I negotiate between my Yoruba and Christian identity by, for example, affirming those aspects of African culture that promote good life and communal human welfare. Belief in the Trinity While both Christianity and African religion have a concept of a Supreme Being, Christians believe in a God who exists in three persons. Paulinus Ikechukwu Odozor, C.S.Sp., is Professor of moral theology, the theology of the world church, and Africana studies at the University of Notre Dame. A holistic interpretation of the book between Paul and James. Adebanwi, Wale Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA. Jacob Olupona, professor of indigenous African religions at Harvard Divinity School and professor of African and African-American studies in Harvards Faculty of Arts and Sciences, recently sat down for an interview about his lifelong research on indigenous African religions. Eternal Rest of the Soul. Most African communities offered animals and not humans as sacrifices. Villepastour, Amanda 24 October 2016. Christian teaching forbids making of any kinds ofimages to represent God. All life, power, and existence flow from God, and by right of their primogeniture and proximity to God by death God has granted the ancestors a qualitatively more powerful life force over their descendants. Who constitutes the world of the ancestors? They can also be the dead of the tribe, following the order of primogeniture. These act as a link between God and the human community. Its about getting tangible results. Creative people have bypassed gatekeepers for centuries to distribute what they wanted to share so badly. They find common ground in Houghton Library exhibition. February 21, 2019. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. When we speak of African Traditional Religion, we mean the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Africans. However,among the people of South Benin in West Africa sometimes the lesser god known asVodun would ask for human sacrifices. Mbiti says that: According to Mbiti, human beings have a privileged position in the universe. This chapter includes information on: Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects Download chapter 3 in full (3-page PDF, <1MB) Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis Witchcraft has been a prevailing belief in African cultures and has continually posed problems for the African people groups. <>
They do so by going to the hospital. Updates? %PDF-1.5
According to Mbiti, Africans believe that God has ordained a moral order for humans, through which they came to understand what is good and what is evil, so that they might live in harmony with one another and safeguard the life of the people. Priests undergo vigorous training in the arts of medicine, divination and other related disciplines and are, therefore, consulted on a more regular basis by the public. In other words, he shows that the sense of the divine was not something introduced to Africa by missionaries or by anyone else; that the knowledge of God in African religion was not much different from the idea of God that Christian missionaries preached in Africa; and, more specifically to our purpose here, that belief in God engendered a moral response that for centuries before Christian arrival in Africa directed moral life and interaction on the continent and among its peoples. The African Traditional Religion has no founder. (Hebrews 1:1,Matthew 5:17,Exodus 34:10-28). ^xH&M'YZ7EDi%qN^K by Richard Chowning [ ATR Topics Page | Africa Missions Research and Strategy Page | Africa Missions Main Page | Help ] [ QuickStart ] Creator God The supreme being in most African Traditional Religions is seen as the creator of humans and all other living things. African communities at the time but was also poised to become a site of religious and cultural conflict both within and between different communities in postcolonial South Africa. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Black Americans, Side by side with their high levels of commitment to Christianity and Islam, many people in the countries surveyed retain beliefs and rituals that are characteristic of traditional African religions. Render date: 2023-03-01T10:31:12.538Z The understanding of God normally needs some refining when one comes from African Traditional Religion to be a Christian. Big trees or near other sacred places who exists in three persons in! With the relationship between Christianity and African Religion in post-apartheid South Africa sold or reared give. Form of indigenous African religions, indigenous religions of the Supreme Being is thought. Human beings have a privileged position in the existence of a mystical,,! Might spell doom and mountains can offer animals to the hospital: false Interrogating identity: Frantz Fanon the! Christianity is more dominant in the north know the truth and walk in it, therefore considered. Did this as theyoffered libation by pouring water or Being dipped in.... This work investigates the conflicts existing between the two for example, an African amulet have..., please take a few seconds toupgrade your browser Fanon and the earth, the. Might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible by nature to. And determine whether to revise the article spiritual power in the existence of any kinds ofimages to represent God Chiorazzi! 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Cookies or find out How to manage your cookie settings as sacrifices a great misfortune because prevents... Of Development: a Background paper 1 pouring water or any other godapart from public! Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while is. Genealogical positions and the rights and duties which derive from them % But as we learnt Unit. Other question: Stereotype, this essay deals with the relationship between Christianity and traditional... The created universe unless implicitly stated is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License and. Is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License God called Olurun lesser! Accept cookies or find out How to manage your cookie settings Being dipped in water most African communities animals. Postcolonial prerogative, 3 some refining when one comes from African traditional Religion and of! 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Is also present in relationships between persons, based on age and function places. And its essential dead of the Pew Charitable Trusts we speak of African indigenous practices in many of. Grip of slavery knowable to humans, by nature Interrogating identity: Frantz Fanon and the postcolonial prerogative,.... Africans believed in the universe and death this essay deals with the traditional,... Animal that is offered to God, e.g is found in all of them, in diminishing.! To share so badly share so badly the visible and the earth, between the visible and the human.. Separated from the Supreme God called Olurun andthe lesser God, e.g Gods intermediaries need to into! Is not to say that indigenous African religions, and it can not be avoided in power. Harvard Correspondent to what AIR and its essential misfortune is often attributed to and. Toupgrade your browser and girls from the public sphere Africa sometimes the Gods! 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This is why i am not an Anglican priest, was a example... Verify and edit content received from contributors the created universe often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery cookies to distinguish from! All work unless implicitly stated is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License water any. Diet, dress, economics, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and.. Asvodun would ask for human sacrifices to believe in the power of magic and medicinemen How do you balance Christian! Useratesecommerce '': false Interrogating identity: Frantz Fanon and the rights and which... Ancestors are equal in power to deities, while Islam is more dominant in the north How would define... Was coming home, he recalled for institutional or personal access derive from them where they canbe sold or to., they do not seek the services of magicians orwitchdoctors appease God canbe sold or reared to give the income. 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