REV: Lesson - Religious Syncretism in Africa
Religious Syncretism in Africa
Traditional African Beliefs
Up until this point in the Modules, African religious beliefs have been simply referred to as “polytheism.” But the reality isn’t so simple! Indigenous religious beliefs in Africa before 1500 CE varied by region, and even within regions. Some have attributes of both monotheism and polytheism, while others were more traditionally polytheistic. But there were a few commonalities in traditional African religions, too. The first was a belief in life after death: ancestors could impact daily life by giving advice and helping or hurting their descendants. The second was animism (the belief that all living things as well as inanimate objects have a soul or spirit). The third, and most important for this lesson, was that religious practices did not have a set doctrine: they were communicated orally and were open to adaptation and acceptance of other beliefs and outside gods. According to Indigenous African religions professor Dr. Jacob Olupona, this ability to incorporate multiple religious views meant that even as late as 1900 CE, most sub-Saharan Africans practiced a traditional African belief.
Religious Syncretism: Blending with Christianity
The image at the top right of this page shows a church in Ethiopia. This church is one of the 11 rock-hewn churches at Lalibela, Ethiopia that were made in the 13th century CE. This one is dedicated to St. George, Ethiopia’s patron saint. Notice how the land is at the same height as the top of the church because the church was dug into solid rock!
The Roman Empire spread into Northern Africa but did not have a stronghold. After the death of Jesus, some of Jesus’ followers moved to Northern Africa to avoid persecution. Northern Africa became a philosophical center for Christianity (remember Augustine of Hippo from Module 2) as well as a place of anti-Roman rebellion. Ethiopia became isolated from the rest of its African-Christian neighbors. In the 5th century CE, a disagreement in beliefs about Jesus led to the Coptic denomination of Christianity. Then, as Dar al-Islam spread across Northern Africa, Coptic believers became even more isolated. This led to syncretic beliefs. In addition to European Christian beliefs in angels and saints, Ethiopian Christians retained their belief in spirits. They built distinct churches carved down into rock (as opposed to building up from the land). The image to the left shows an illuminated (illustrated) manuscript of John the Evangelist, created in a uniquely Ethiopian style, but in ¾ view like European figures of the Renaissance. This was created in 1540 CE.
In 1270, Yekuno Amlak overthrew the previous Ethiopian leader and claimed legitimacy to the throne as a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, figures that appear in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim holy texts. This started a dynasty that lasted several centuries in Ethiopia. After a period of conflict with Islam, the persistence of Christianity in Ethiopia (as well as in Nubia) made the area valuable to European Christians seeking trade routes to Asia. For 300 years, this area thrived with unique monasteries, art, and trade goods that mixed European and local ideas.
Religious Syncretism: Blending with Islam
Northern Africa began to be conquered and converted to Islam beginning with the 2nd Caliph (soon after the death of Mohammad). As with Christianity, religious syncretism occurred in areas that converted to Islam. In West Africa, it is claimed that the legendary Sundiata used magic to claim the throne, but later griots also tied his ancestry to Muhammad’s African-born companion. As you read in earlier lessons, Western African women did not wear the veil and traveled more than their West Asian counterparts. Ancestor worship merged with the Islamic belief in saints. Traditional festivals continued in Nubia, although attributed to Allah. In Morocco, the Gnawa’s rituals revolved around seven colors connected to traditional African deities as well as Islamic prophets.
Islamic laws and governance initially unified the varied groups in North Africa, but as we read in Module 3, some of those groups fought back – the Berbers and Egyptians created their own dynasties for a time, and the Berbers regained their sovereignty during the Abbasid Dynasty. However, the largest impact of Islam in Africa was its connection to scholarship and trade routes. Cairo, Kairouan, and Fez were centers of learning during the Islamic Golden Age. The image to the right above shows the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, which is the oldest university in the world. It was created for Islamic scholarship.
Both the Swahili Coast and the West African Empires converted to Islam and then grew incredibly rich by connecting to the established trade routes.
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