AfricanCulture  
 

There are 15 themes in African Culture:

1.  CREATOR GOD: NATURE OF THE COSMOS AND THE TRANSCENDENT (GYE NYAME)

The people of Africa South of the Sahara have an unshakable, and deep faith in the existence of a creator God, the source and foundation of all life and reality.  Not to believe in this God is a sign not only of immaturity but also of a fundamental perversion – a denial of one’s humanity. This creator God is pure spirit.  Hence, there are no statues, paintings, or plastic images anywhere that depict God.  As a teaching aid, the program used an artistic stool from West Africa where God is represented by the sun and the moon, Islamic symbols.  God is said to be all-powerful and all present like light and air.  The Moslems, for example, list ninety-nine attributes for God.  For most, God is experienced in the wonders of creation, the sun and moon, the harvests, the rains, fertility of families and livestock.  There is usually a keen sense of God’s presence, especially among nomadic peoples where every part of nature and human life evokes God’s power and presence.

2. ANCESTORS: THE SOURCE AND GUARDIANS OF LIFE (WAHENA/MAHOKA)

The ancestors are the owners of the land and the source and protectors of the lives of the living.  They are close to the creator God and are seen as able to influence the living in ordinary daily activities.  The question of where they live is intriguing, for there are special places where there are said to reside, e.g., the Luo people say they are present around a “bondo” tree.  At the same time, the theme of nominal reincarnation points to another place where they continue to live, namely within the persons who carry their names -- persons embody their ancestral namesakes.  One evidence of this reality is that most people can recall the names of their grandparents from four to seven generations.  Also, a person is often told that they look like, act like and have the same personality as the one whose name they bear.  The root of this cultural reality is the unquestioned belief that life continues after physical death, that it is recycled, and that the ancestors continue to care for, promote and protect the living who are in a unique way

3. LIVING DEAD (MABABU)

LIVING DEAD is a category of people who are recently deceased.  These people are still present to the community in a physical manner through their children, their wife(s), livestock and personal property, as well as alive psychologically and spiritually.  It is of utmost importance that they be properly remembered as they enter into the ancestral community. Since they are close to the ancestors they are seen to have special influence over the well being and health of the living.

4. NOMINAL REINCARNATION (UZIMA WA MILELE)

Human life, in African thought, is recycled and given to a newly born child as a gift from the ancestral community.  The child, in a fundamental way, embodies the spirit and life of the ancestor after whom he/she have been named.  Kamba people, and many other ethnic groups, are said to look at newly born children and try to figure out which of the ancestors have returned.  Furthermore, if a child get seriously sick after being named, often there is the feeling that the child has been misnamed, and the problem is due to the ancestor whose life is present but unrecognized.  In response, a ritual is performed in which the child is re-named in order to make public the true name of the ancestral life.  Usually, a child recovers after being correctly named.

            Since there is no new life being created, it is the responsibility of each and every person to protect and build up the life they share, and to work against anything that would tear down or harm that life.  Moreover, since life is received as a gift, it is the responsibility of all to continue to pass it on to the next generation through responsible procreation.  If a person is unable or refuses to procreate, the whole life cycle grinds to a halt and the person is left vulnerable and exposed to an unknown fate at the time of physical death, as his/her life has stagnated.  The hope to live on in the ancestral community is through procreation, and the hope to return to the land of the living is through a baby carrying one’s name.  In a real sense, if I curse a person saying, “May your name be lost forever!,” it is like saying in a Christian context: “Go to hell,” for if your name is lost, then you cease to exist -- African religion’s idea of eternal damnation. 

5. AFRICAN LINEAGE: THE NATURE OF FAMILY STRUCTURES (UKOO)

African Lineage as expressed by the Makonde carvings called the "tree of life," or "family tree," says that a person exists as a human being only because the lineage has given the person its life through naming, and thereby has incorporated him/her into the lineage.  In some African cultures, for example, if a baby dies before it is named it is not considered to be a human being and is buried without ceremony.  However, if it dies after being named it is buried as a human being with all proper rituals, since it has been linked forever with ancestral lifeblood.  It appears that the theme underpinning this idea is that life is a finite reality and is recycled through procreation – there is no new life being created at the birth of a baby.  In fact, people often speculate at the time of a birth who it is who is returning, and name the baby after that person. For most Africans there is no human life possible outside of membership in a lineage.  In fact, the worst possible punishment is to expel a person from their lineage, which effectively cuts him/her off from human life.  An example of this is the case of a young Luo man who was disowned because his reprobate behavior was destroying the good name of his lineal family.  Afterwards, people said that the young man was finished as a human being.  Where would he marry, they asked?  Who would know what to call him?  Where would he be buried?  Where is his land and cattle?

6. LEADERSHIP OF AFRICAN COMMUNITIES (KIONGOZI)

All societies maintain their coherence and viability through individuals who are selected either formally or informally to oversee, protect and nourish the people for whom they are given responsibilities.  In African societies the community leaders are numerous: heads of households, herbalist, chiefs, rainmakers, prophets, elders, kings, and diviners.  All leadership in traditional African societies is religious, as the societies themselves are sacral, and the power to judge and promote proper behavior is seen as hierarchical, coming from the ancestors.  The only exception to the hierarchical exercise of political power is found in societies ruled by councils of elders when the sit together in council as equals.  Otherwise, there is little democratic exercise of power, and one is threaten with expulsion if one resists and goes against local leadership.  Furthermore, formal leadership is given only to those who are older and seen to be wise, resourceful and capable of managing human affairs.  In this scenario, it makes no sense to call a young, newly ordained Catholic priest an “elder” (as is done in Luo land), when he has neither the age nor wisdom to take on that role or function.

7. ADULTHOOD AND ELDERHOOD (JANDO/UZEE)

African societies do not take for granted the potentially distressing transition between childhood and young adulthood, or the celebration of a mature adult as he enters into the world of the esteemed elders. These rites of passage have a profound influence on the lives of the individuals as the community singles them out and tells them in no uncertain terms how they are expected to act from then on.  Prior to initiation to adulthood, children are perceived as an amorphous group, neither male nor female. However, after initiation into adulthood, they are expected to put aside the things and attitudes of childhood, and begin to take adult responsibility for themselves and the wider community. In the Kuria tradition, for example, it is only after the rites of initiation into adulthood, that a person is able to marry and found a family. In the Zanaki tradition, after the ritual of adulthood involving circumcision, a young man is required to bear arms and be prepared to rush out at night to defend the community from attackers.

            The rite of passage of a senior adult into elderhood, celebrates the fact that the person has so matured that he is no longer capable of doing evil, even having evil thoughts. He has become somewhat akin to a living saint, totally truthful, faithful and trustworthy whether with relationships, livestock or money. This signifies a new stage in life where the person puts aside the ordinary activities of adults and enters into a more contemplative stage of being. In the Kuria ritual, for example, the man pays one more cow to his wife’s family saying: “this is the last cow, there will be no more!” a ritual bringing to close the exchange of gifts instigated by the original marriage covenant.

8. BRIDEWEALTH: MEANING OF WEDDING GIFTS (MAHARI)

The exchange of expensive gifts whether monetary, services, property, livestock, at the time of marriage of people whose inheritance system is patrilineal, ensures that children born of the union remain forever within the lineage of the father. This is the structural and primary reason for bridewealth; it determines the legitimacy of children, and is sometimes called more appropriately, "childwealth." It also has many important corollaries, namely, it is a major mechanism for the redistribution of wealth within the local communities, it relates lineages in a very strong economic union, a union that can be accessed in times of need, e.g., for school fees, hospital expenses etc. Furthermore, it creates alliances thereby cutting down hostilities between clans as permanent in-law relationships are established. Also, it protects against divorce as the communities of both the bride and groom as intimately involved in establishing and nurturing the union.  If you ask an adult person from a patrilineal clan if bridewealth has any meaning in their present lives, they will most likely tell you No! However, upon reflection it becomes clear that because his/her father paid bridewealth, the person is a legitimate person within a lineage, with rights of inheritance, and attached to the ancestral world through naming. If this payment had not been made, the person would be considered illegitimate, without roots, belonging nowhere, and outside the care and protection of a lineal family -the plight of many of the street children and the children of single parents

9. MARRIAGE: CONTINUATION OF THE LINEAGE (NDOA)

In order to ensure the continuation of the community life of its members, and to be able to determine the legitimacy of its offspring, all societies, worldwide, have special rites and rituals surrounding the marital unions of its members.  In Africa, it is through the fertility of the couple that the lives of the ancestors are returned to the land of the living, and the life of the lineage is made strong and vibrant.  To be infertile, without children, is a most depressing and abhorrent situation imaginable.  The rite and rituals, in an authentic African setting, leading up to, surrounding and protecting marital unions were (and are) the concern of all.  In fact, there are many actors at work ensuring that developing marital relationships are suitable and bring about the well being of the community.  In the Luo society, for example, potential marital relationships were investigated by a go-between, called a Jagam, who scouted out the families of prospective brides to ensure they were from decent and compatible families, and had no serious mental or physical sicknesses, e.g. leprosy. The elders of the community then sit in on the bridewealth discussions in which a major transfer of wealth is negotiated, followed by the ritual capture of the bride, and then elaborate wedding ceremonies involving both families stressing the desire for the fertility of the couple.  Finally, an older mature couple is assigned to watch over and nurture the newly wed couple as they strive to develop a deep inter-personal love relationship.  Sadly, many of the African rituals protecting and developing marital relationships have fallen by the wayside, especially in urban areas with the resulting instability of marital relationships, divorce, single parents, and street children.

10. POLYGYNY: MANY WIFES FOR MANY CHILDREN (WAKE WENGI)

In a large number of African ethnic groups, (some would argue all) polygyny, having more than one wife simultaneously, is not only culturally acceptable, but seen as the ideal way to found and nurture a family.  It is the men with many wives who are seen as the leaders and pillars of the local community.  Their ability to manage a large homestead is testimony to their personal and social skills and maturity.  Monogamy, having only one wife, is merely a stepping stone to adding other wives, and reflects the situation of  the youth or those who do not have the resource to marry another.  However, when resources to marry become available, usually a monogamous man will marry a second wife.  Following on this, it is said that all marital relationships in Africa are potentially polygynous.  The basic reason for many wives, is to have many children to support, develop and continue the homestead and the lineage.  It also gives status to the man, and furnishes help mates for the wives.  The latter is a reality that is often overlooked in this matter, namely, the role that women play in promoting and supporting polygynous relationships.  For many women, a second wife represents a helper in the housework, cooking, caring for children, and cultivating the gardens. At times, a first and only wife will encourage, even harangue her husband until he marries another woman who might even be her sister or her best friend.  The end result is that the first wife gains power and  dominance over another woman to the point that some scholars argue that one of the basic reasons polygyny continues in Africa on a wide scale is precisely because it enables women to dominate their fellow women socially and economically.

11. HERBALIST: TRADITIONAL HEALERS (WAGANGA)

The herbalists function in African society as general practitioners treating common ailments of the local community. They are highly trained specialists who have apprenticed with an older skilled herbalist where they learnt to identify and use the various kinds of herbs, roots, powders, liquids, insects and rites that are effective in treating the various and sundry sicknesses, needs and anxieties that people bring to them. Furthermore, many of their herbs and powders have been proven by western researchers to be medically and scientifically effective. In fact, some of the common medicines used in the western world, e.g., that for high blood pressure, were in use for years by traditional Africans before they were “discovered” by western doctors.

Some herbalists may combine the role of the herbalist and diviner but this is not automatic. The herbalists work through their knowledge of curative medicines that they have leant to identify and make. They are highly visible and respected members of their communities, and are usually the first ones consulted in cases of sicknesses and problems. The fact that the city of Nairobi is full of such practitioners, is proof positive of their role and function in the lives of the ordinary people.

12. DIVINER (MWAGUZI)

Diviner is the priest of African religion, the moral analyst of the local community.  Diviners of this type claim the power, gained through a death defying experience in which they agreed to be mediums of ancestral spirits, to make present the will of the ancestors.  They are able through divination and trance to enter the ancestral world and find answers to problems confronting the living.  They are highly skilled in observing personal relationship within a community, and highly prized for their services by the local community.  They are the people who are consulted whenever serious problems and evil enters into the lives of persons and communities.  They function somewhat like the spiritual directors and counselors of the Western world.

13. THE WITCH: THE PROBLEM OF EVIL (MCHAWI)

WITCH is the image of total human perversion, the expression of African religion’s moral theology dealing with the problem of evil, an idea used for social control, and an image expressing the fact that all evil is due to personal or social immorality -- there is no cosmic evil in African thought. From the beginning of time, religious traditions worldwide have been attempting to understand the nature of evil both moral and cosmic. No tradition has been able to produce a totally satisfying answer. Some traditions go to the extent of perceiving two gods, one evil and one good, and others, such as Buddhism, say that evil is an illusion and beyond human comprehension. However, all cultures have to deal with the problem of evil, and most have a personal symbol of evil as a representation of total perversion, such as the African witch. The Christian and Islam personal symbol of evil is a totally corrupt spirit commonly called the devil or Satan.

14. WITCHCRAFT (UCHAWI): TECHNIQUES, INSTURMENTS & RITUALS (UCHAWI)

The craft that is the strength, art and skills of witches, thus witchcraft is founded on the following ideas and principles.  1) All evil is personalized, nothing happens by accident, someone caused the evil to happen. 2) Evil thoughts have power outside of the person thinking them.  They have a certain independence that can continue to harm and destroy one's health and life unless they are confronted and eliminated, 3) there is no source of evil outside of the human heart and the ancestral guardians -- the devil of Christianity and Islam doesn't exits in African thought, 4) evil is stopped and eliminated through appropriate rituals, charms and medicines provided by Herbalist and Diviners.   It is through the manipulation of these ideas that the witch has his/her power and influence.

15. DEATH AND DYING: FALLING INTO CHAOS (KIFO)

Physical, biological death worldwide is the same.  However, the meaning of death and the rituals surrounding it vary from culture to culture.  For example, the proper way for a Hindu in Katmandu to die is to lie in the waters of the sacred river, Bamaputra holding on to the tail of a cow as his/her life ebbs away – the idea of the transmigration of one’s soul into an animal is the root of this ritual..  By way of contrast, at death, a Luo is laid out on and buried with the skin of an oxen, a ritual that reflects the fact that one is born on skin of an oxen. And the African saying that the death of an elder, is the birth of a baby indicates that death is a rite of passage where life is transmitted to a newly born infant.  Even the idea of the Living Dead, shows that physical death in Africa is only the first stage in the process of dying – one is never completely dead until one’s name has been forgotten.  Up to that time a person is seen as socially, emotionally and functionally alive through their things, children and wives and relatives.  Moreover, death is never seen as a natural event, even in the case of an elderly person (although here there is not the anxiety there would be with an untimely death).  Care must be taken, therefore, that the evil causing the death be confronted and cut off, so that it doesn’t continue to take people’s lives.  Ritual, medicines and charms are employed to ensure that the evil that caused the death is overcome and chased away from the living.  The Luo people employ a customs called “teng’o buru” by means of which the young men and adults, dressed in traditional warrior garb, and driving their livestock before them, chase “death” from the homestead of the deceased to a disserted place where “death” is cursed and rendered harmless.