Religion in Africa
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Religion in Africa is multifaceted and has been a major influence on art, culture and philosophy. Today, the continent's various populations and individuals are mostly adherents of Christianity, Islam, and to a lesser extent several traditional African religions.[2] In Christian or Islamic communities, religious beliefs are also sometimes characterized with syncretism with the beliefs and practices of traditional religions.[3][4][5]
Traditional African religions
Africa encompasses a wide variety of traditional beliefs.
According to Dr J Omosade Awolalu, The "olden" in this context means indigenous, that which is foundational, handed down from generation to generation, meant as to be upheld and practised today and forevermore. A heritage from the past, yet not treated as a thing of the past but that which connects the past with the present and the present with eternity.[5]
Often spoken of in the terms of a singularity, deliberate; yet conscious of the fact that Africa is a large continent with multitudes of nations who have complex cultures, innumerable languages and myriad dialects.[clarification needed][5]
West African
The essence of this school of thought is based mainly on oral transmission; that which is written in people's hearts, minds, oral history, customs, temples and religious functions.
Some distinctions between West African and East or Hornn religion often includes considering the supernatural and natural or tangible as being one and the same, and using this stance to incorporate divination. Clergymen from this region who would historically catechize to the masses was often referred to as waganga.[13] Another distinction of East African and Horners is the greater prevalence of prophets within the oral traditionas and other forms of generational transmissions of traditional African religion.[14]
The most prominent indigenous deity among Cushitic
Abrahamic religions
The majority of Africans are adherents of
Christianity
Christianity is the most widely practiced religions along with Islam and is the largest religion in
In the first few centuries of Christianity, Africa produced many figures who had a major influence outside the continent, including
The earliest and best known reference to the introduction of Christianity to Africa is mentioned in the
Other traditions have the convert as a Jew who was a steward in the Queen's court.[clarification needed] All accounts do agree on the fact that the traveller was a member of the royal court who successfully succeeded in converting the Queen, which in turn caused a church to be built. Tyrannius Rufinus, a noted church historian, also recorded a personal account as do other church historians such as Socrates and Sozemius.[25]
Some experts predict the shift of Christianity's center from the European industrialized nations to Africa and Asia in modern times. Yale University historian Lamin Sanneh stated, that "African Christianity was not just an exotic, curious phenomenon in an obscure part of the world, but that African Christianity might be the shape of things to come."[26] The statistics from the World Christian Encyclopedia (David Barrett) illustrate the emerging trend of dramatic Christian growth on the continent and supposes, that in 2025 there will be 633 million Christians in Africa.[27]
A 2015 study estimates 2,161,000 Christian believers from a Muslim background in Africa, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism.[28]
Islam
The spread of Islam in North Africa came with the
Islam is the dominant religion in
The vast majority of
Judaism
Adherents of Judaism can be found scattered in a number of countries across Africa; including
.Baháʼí Faith
The Baháʼí Faith in Africa has a diverse history. It especially had wide-scale growth in the 1950s which extended further in the 1960s.[35] The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia) lists many large and smaller populations of Baháʼís in Africa[36] with Kenya (#3: 512,900), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (#5: 282,900), South Africa (#8: 238,500) and Zambia (#10: 190,400) among the top ten numerical populations of Baháʼís in the world in 2010, and Mauritius (#4: 1.8% of population) joining Zambia (#3: 1.8%) and Kenya (#10: 1.0%) in the top ten in terms of percentage of the national population.
All three individual heads of the religion,
Hinduism
Hinduism has existed in Africa mainly since the late 19th century. There are an estimated 2-2.5 million adherents of Hinduism in Africa. It is the largest religion in Mauritius,[42] and several other countries have Hindu temples. Hindus came to South Africa as indentured laborers in the 19th century. The young M.K. Gandhi lived and worked among the Indian community in South Africa for twenty years before returning to India to participate in India's freedom movement.[43]
Buddhism and folk religions
Buddhism is a tiny religion in Africa with around 250,000 practicing adherents,
Other religions
Other faiths are practiced in Africa, including Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and Rastafari among others.[48]
Irreligion
A Gallup poll found[when?] that the irreligious comprise 20% in South Africa, 16% in Botswana, 13% in Mozambique, 13% in Togo, 12% in Ivory Coast, 10% in Ethiopia and Angola, 9% in Sudan, Zimbabwe and Algeria, 8% in Namibia and 7% in Madagascar.[49]
Syncretism
Syncretism is the combining of different (often contradictory) beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. In the commonwealth of Africa syncretism with indigenous beliefs is practiced throughout the region. It is believed by some to explain religious tolerance between different groups.[50] Kwesi Yankah and John Mbiti argue that many African peoples today have a 'mixed' religious heritage to try to reconcile traditional religions with Abrahamic faiths.[51][52]
The consequences under this definition, according to
Religious distribution by country
North Africa
Country | Population | Islam | Muslim Population | Christianity | Christian Population | Other | Other Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Algeria |
42,200,000 | 99 | 41,780,000 | 0.28 | 119,128 | 0.02 | 8,509 |
Egypt |
97,521,500 | 94.7[59] | 92,352,860 | 5.3 | 5,168,639 | N.A | N.A |
Libya |
6,470,956 | 99 | 6,410,956 | 1 | 60,000 | 0.1 | 6470 |
Morocco |
34,779,400 | 99.1 | 34,466,385 | 0.9 | 313,014 | N.A | N.A |
Sudan |
40,810,080 | 97 | 39,585,777 | 3 | 1,224,302 | N.A | N.A |
Tunisia |
11,446,300 | 99 | 11,423,407 | 0.5 | 50,000 | 0.6 | 43,150 |
North Africa | 233,268,236 | 96.9 | 226,019,385 | 3.0 | 6,945,083 | 0.1 | 58,129 |
Horn of Africa
Country | Population | Islam | Muslim Population | Christianity | Christian Population | Other | Other Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Djibouti |
1,049,001 | 97 | 1,017,530 | 3 | 31,470 | N.A | N.A |
Eritrea |
5,200,000 | 36 | 1,872,000 | 63 | 3,276,000 | 1 | 52,000 |
Ethiopia |
105,000,000 | 34 | 35,700,000 | 63 | 66,150,000 | 3 | 3,150,000 |
Somalia |
12,693,796[66] | 99.8[67] | 178,869[68] | N.A. | N.A. | ||
Horn of Africa | 125,381,925 | 42.9 | 53,761,455 | 55.3 | 69,467,470 | 2.6 | 3,202,000 |
East Africa
Country | Population | Islam | Muslim Population | Christianity | Christian Population | Other | Other Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burundi |
5,341,186 | 5 | 1,068,118 | 70 | 6,942,770 | 25 | 2,670,296 |
Comoros |
850,688 | 98.3 | 836,226 | 0.7 | 5,954 | 1 | 8,506 |
Kenya |
50,000,000 | 11 | 5,500,000 | 85 | 42,500,000 | 4 | 2,000,000 |
Madagascar |
26,262,810 | 10[73] | 2,626,281 | 40 | 10,505,124 | 45[74] | 13,131,405 |
Malawi |
17,931,637 | 20 | 3,586,327 | 79.9 | 14,327,377 | 0.1 | 17,931 |
Mauritius |
1,264,887 | 17.3 | 218,825 | 32.7 | 413,618 | 50 | 632,443 |
Mayotte |
256,518 | 98.8 | 253,439 | 1.2 | 3,078 | N.A | N.A |
Mozambique |
28,861,863 | 20[79] | 11,544,745 | 60 | 14,430,931 | 10 | 2,886,186 |
Réunion |
865,826 | 4.2 | 36,364 | 84.8 | 734,220 | 11 | 95,240 |
Rwanda |
12,001,136 | 4.8 | 576,054 | 93.4 | 11,209,061 | 1.8 | 216,020 |
Seychelles |
94,205 | 1.1 | 1,036 | 93.1 | 87,704 | 5.8 | 5,463 |
South Sudan[83] | 12,323,419 | 20[84] | 2,464,683 | 60.5 | 7,455,668 | 19.5 | 2,403,066 |
Tanzania |
55,000,000 | 35 | 19,250,000 | 61 | 33,550,000 | 4 | 2,200,000 |
Uganda |
38,823,100 | 14 | 5,435,234 | 81 | 31,446,711 | 5 | 1,941,155 |
Zambia |
16,887,720 | 1 | 168,877 | 87 | 14,692,316 | 12 | 2,026,526 |
East Africa | 266,764,995 | 20.1 | 53,566,209 | 70.6 | 188,304,532 | 9.3 | 30,234,237 |
West Africa
Country | Population | Islam | Muslim Population | Christianity | Christian Population | Other | Other Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Benin |
11,362,269 | 27.7 | 3,147,348 | 48.5 | 5,510,700 | 22.6 | 2,567,872 |
Burkina Faso |
20,244,080 | 61.5 | 12,450,109 | 29.8 | 6,032,735 | 8.7 | 1,761,234 |
Cape Verde |
544,081 | 2 | 10,881 | 85 | 462,468 | 13 | 70,730 |
Ivory Coast |
24,571,044 | 42.9 | 10,540,977 | 33.9 | 8,329,583 | 23.2 | 5,700,482 |
The Gambia |
2,163,765 | 95.7 | 2,070,723 | 4.2 | 90,878 | 0.2 | 4,327 |
Ghana[93] | 29,614,337 | 18 | 5,330,580 | 71 | 21,026,179 | 11 | 3,257,577 |
Guinea |
11,883,516 | 86.2 | 10,243,590 | 9.7 | 1,152,701 | 4.1 | 487,224 |
Guinea-Bissau |
1,584,763 | 45.1 | 714,728 | 22.1 | 350,232 | 32.8 | 519,802 |
Liberia |
4,382,387 | 27 | 876,477 | 70[97] | 1,752,954 | 1.5 | 1,752,954 |
Mali |
19,107,706 | 95 | 18,152,320 | 2.4 | 458,584 | 2.6 | 496,800 |
Mauritania |
3,984,233 | 99.9 | 3,979,733 | 0.01 | 4,500 | N.A | N.A |
Niger |
21,466,863 | 98.3 | 21,101,926 | 1 | 214,668 | 0.7 | 150,268 |
Nigeria |
216,730,000 | 50.77 | 110,300,300 | 48.12 | 104,300,080 | N.A | N.A |
Senegal |
15,726,037 | 96.1 | 15,112,721 | 3.6 | 566,137 | 0.3 | 47,178 |
Sierra Leone |
7,719,729 | 78.6 | 6,067,706 | 20.8 | 1,605,703 | 0.5 | 38,598 |
Western Sahara[104] | 567,421 | 99.99 | 567,321 | 0.01 | 100 | N.A. | N.A |
Togo |
7,352,000 | 20 | 1,470,400 | 29 | 2,132,080 | 51 | 3,749,520 |
West Africa | 399,004,231 | 55.7 | 222,137,840 | 38.6 | 153,990,282 | 25.7 | 22,876,109 |
Central Africa
Country | Population | Islam | Muslim Population | Christianity | Christian Population | Other | Other Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Angola |
29,250,009 | 1.0[59] | 292,500 | 95 | 27,787,508 | 4.0 | 1,170,000 |
Cameroon |
23,794,164 | 25[108] | 5,158,082 | 65 | 15,466,206 | 10 | 2,787,508 |
Central African Republic |
4,737,423 | 15 | 710,613 | 50 | 2,368,711 | 35 | 1,658,098 |
Chad |
15,353,184 | 58 | 8,904,846 | 41 | 6,294,805 | 1 | 153,531 |
Democratic Republic of the Congo[111] | 84,004,989 | 10[112] | 8,404,989 | 78 | 65,523,891 | 12 | 5,880,349 |
Republic of the Congo[83] | 5,399,895 | 1.6 | 86,398 | 79 | 4,265,917 | 19.4 | 1,047,579 |
Equatorial Guinea |
1,222,442 | 10[114] | 122,2442 | 86 | 1,051,300 | 4.0 | 48,897 |
Gabon |
2,067,561 | 10 | 206,756 | 73 | 1,509,319 | 17 | 351,485 |
São Tomé and Príncipe |
197,700 | 3 | 5,931 | 96 | 189,792 | 1 | 1,977 |
Central Africa | 166,027,347 | 14.4 | 23,916,359 | 75.0 | 124,456,729 | 7.9 | 13,099,424 |
Southern Africa
Country | Population | Islam | Muslim Population | Christianity | Christian Population | Other | Other Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Botswana |
2,302,878 | 0.6 | 13,817 | 79.1 | 1,821,576 | 20.3 | 467,484 |
Lesotho |
2,263,010 | 0.1 | 2,263 | 80 | 1,810,408 | 19.9 | 450,338 |
Namibia |
2,413,643 | 0.4 | 9,654 | 85 | 2,051,596 | 15 | 362,046 |
South Africa |
57,725,600 | 1.9 | 1,096,786 | 79.7 | 46,007,303 | 18.5 | 10,679,236 |
Eswatini |
1,300,000 | 1 | 13,000 | 90 | 1,170,000 | 9 | 117,000 |
Zimbabwe |
14,848,905 | 3 | 445,467 | 84 | 12,473,080 | 13 | 1,930,357 |
Southern Africa | 80,854,031 | 2.0 | 1,580,987 | 80.8 | 65,333,963 | 17.2 | 14,006,461 |
See also
- Major religious groups
- Religion in Asia
- Religion in Europe
- Religion in Oceania
- Religion in North America
- Religion in South America
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When Africans are converted to other religions, they often mix their traditional religion with the one to which they are converted. In this way they are not losing something valuable, but are gaining something from both religious customs - ISBN 9780787666125.Although a large proportion of Africans have converted to Islam an Christianity, these two world religions have been assimilated into African culture, and many African Christians and Muslims maintain traditional spiritual beliefs
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- ^ Namibia. State.gov (2010-11-17). Retrieved on 2013-07-28.
- ^ The World Factbook. Cia.gov. Retrieved on 2013-07-28.
- ^ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "Refworld - 2008 Report on International Religious Freedom - Swaziland". Refworld. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
Further reading
- Bongmba, Elias Kifon, ed. The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to African Religions (2012) excerpt
- Engel, Elisabeth. Encountering Empire: African American Missionaries in Colonial Africa, 1900–1939 (Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 2015). 303 pp.
- Mbiti, John S. Introduction to African religion (2nd ed. 1991) excerpt
- Olupona, Jacob K. African Religions: A Very Short Introduction (2014) excerpt
- ISBN 0-85969-014-8
- Parinder, E. Geoffrey. Africa's Three Religions. (2nd ed. London: Sheldon Press, 1976). The three religions are traditional religions (grouped), Christianity, and Islam. ISBN 0-85969-096-2
- Ray, Benjamin C. African Religions: Symbol, Ritual, and Community (2nd ed. 1999)