Christianity and Ancestor Veneration in Botswana

Abstract

This paper is about Christianity and ancestor veneration in Botswana. It will be argued in this paper that though Botswana is predominantly a Christian country, belief in and veneration of ancestors continues unabated to the present day. It will be noted in the paper that the resilience of the belief in ancestors in Botswana is based on the fact that it is the core of Tswana Traditional Religion. It gives the people a sense of self-identity. Christian attempts to supplant this belief have failed, and many Christians today – especially those belonging to the African Independent Churches – live ambivalent lives with one foot entrenched in African traditional beliefs and the other in Christian beliefs and practices. The paper starts by analysing the belief in ancestors in Africa generally and then in Botswana in particular and concludes by observing that the Christian stand against belief in and veneration of ancestors has only created another brand of Christianity which is attracting many Batswana Christians because they feel it is relevant to them as Africans in their struggle for human existence both spiritually and materially.