Paper Topic:

traditional religion in Africa

br Ancient African Religions : A Comparison Africa is an ancient land with an ancient people . It only makes sense that many of its native religious traditions are ancient , as well While many African nations today have populations that mainly practice Islam or Christianity , there are still plenty of places on the continent where the ancient traditions continue to be practiced . The ancient beliefs of the African people are as diverse as they are , yet there are some similarities to be found in these religions , pointing to an even more ancient common origin

deep in time

Mami Wata is one such ancient African religious tradition . This religion focuses on the worship of a series of water spirits .1 Currently , Mami Wata is mainly practiced in Togo and Benin , though there are some practitioners in the United States . In the Mami Wata tradition , the earth was created by these water spirits . The water spirits take the shape of mermaids and mermen , or half-reptile /half-human creatures . These creatures are believed to have been present on the earth for at least the past four thousand years although their original home is in the star system of Orion .2 The water spirits are celebrated as having brought divine law to the earth and established not only the laws of nature , but also the moral , political and cultural , and even economic foundations of human society . According to Mami Wata practitioners , the religion originated in ancient Egypt and the stories of the mer-people was gradually brought down into the rest of Africa and shared with the people there

The Mami Wata water spirits are considered to be the middle-man (so to speak ) between God and humans . This means that by praying to the water spirits , the water spirits will then intercede with God on behalf of the humans doing the praying . There are Mami Wata priests and priestesses in this religious tradition , as well as many shrines that are built that are devoted to the worship of the water spirits . Offerings of all sorts are expected , as the Mami Wata are somewhat demanding spirits , but they are also credited with bringing good fortune to their followers when it s them to do so .3 The Mami Wata spirits are supposed to be very changeable , and are easily offended . They will sometimes bring misfortune onto people if they feel slighted in some way , which is why it is so important to the Mami Wata practitioners to continually bring the appropriate offerings to the spirits it keeps them appeased However , Mami Wata spirits are also known for their kind and benevolent nature and their positive feelings toward human-kind , and they do , for the most part , want humans to prosper . After all , they brought human moral law to the planet and created the planet in the first place , so they do have something invested in it

Ifa is another ancient African religious tradition , and , much like Mami Wata , it is still attracting practitioners today . Ifa originated among the Yoruba people of...

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