Modern Trends in the Teaching of African Religion in the Twenty-First Century: Conceptual Decolonization

Abstract

Many African scholars have held differing positions on the actual nomenclature or name to be given to African religion. According to Dopamu, “the indigenous Religion of the Africans has been inconsistently labeled African Traditional Religion (ATR), African Religions, African Indigenous Religion (AIR), African Systems of Thought, Primal Heritage … scholars like Parrinder and Mbiti inconsistently used African Traditional Religion and African Religion.”1 Nevertheless, we shall make use of African religion as suggested by the editors of this book. It may also be necessary to define African religion. Awolalu and Dopamu define African religion in this way: When we speak of African traditional religion we mean the indigenous religion of the Africans. It is the religion that has been handed down from generation to generation by the forebears of the present generation of Africans; it is not a fossil religion (a thing of the past) but a religion that Africans today have made theirs by living it and practicing it. This is a religion that has no written literature yet it is “written” everywhere for those who care to see and read. It is largely written in the peoples’ myths and folktales, in their songs and dances, in their liturgies and shrines and in their proverbs and pithy sayings. It is a religion whose historical founder is neither known nor worshipped. It is a religion that has no zeal for membership drive, yet it offers persistent fascination for Africans, young or old.2