Paper short abstract:

Using anthropological approach, the phenomenal rise in interest in the rituals of the Yoruba of Nigeria in connection with the role of a remarkable agency will be investigated against the background of a recent strident call against decolonisation of all forms.

Paper long abstract:

One phenomenal happening in Nigeria today is the renewed interest in indigenous ritual practices among the Yoruba ethnic component of the country. For reasons ranging from economic interest (for individuals, traditional institutions, corporate entities and government), identity politics, desire for intellectual plenitude, and spiritual fulfilment, all of which connect to the impact of decolonisation project, this phenomenal occurrence is redefining not just the Yoruba ethnic enclave but the country’s entire socio-political landscape. The convergence of multiple interests around this renewed sphere of culture is an indication of an active agency that scholarship on Yoruba indigenous rituals should identify, analyse and discuss. This is necessary for the rekindled scholarly attention trailing this development and new dimensions that are likely to define the next phase of intellectual engagements with the rituals. All of this cannot but be placed within the context of a vociferous call to jettison decolonisation (Taiwo: 2022). Given that the decolonisation project may not be easily divorced from this renaissance turn, the present study will identify, analyse and discuss this important agency against the background of the contention on the need to decolonise Africa, Africans and the whole field of African studies. The study will be theoretically anthropological. Hence, five rituals selected across five states of Nigeria where the Yoruba are predominantly found will be the sampled data.

Paper short abstract:

We introduce a collaborative project aimed at compiling an online bibliography of works on traditional religions in Ghana. We cover the project’s genesis, details of the collaboration, initial findings, challenges of organizing the collection, and the added value for research on religion in Africa.

Paper long abstract:

Taking stock of the existing literature is an important but all too neglected part of research when it comes to African religious traditions. In a joint effort to change this, an interdisciplinary group of scholars, including researchers based in Europe, Ghana, and the United States, has come together to compile a bibliography of academic publications on traditional religions in Ghana. This bibliography is to be launched in 2025. It will be published online, open, and freely accessible. In this presentation, we introduce the project and report on our work in progress. In the first part of the presentation, we trace the genesis of our joint venture and discuss the details of our international cooperations, including the technicalities that facilitate our exchanges and the challenges faced in the process. In the second part, we report directly from the lab, showcasing our bibliography, presenting initial findings, and reflecting on the next steps. As with other bibliographic projects, collecting and systematizing data are but two sides of the same coin. As such, we discuss the work that goes into tagging and organizing our collection to make it searchable and usable. The bibliography will be an important resource for researchers working on traditional religion(s) in Ghana and elsewhere. We conclude by reflecting on how to expand the collection to include other African regions and discussing the added value of this project for research on religion in Africa in theory and practice.

Paper short abstract:

Decolonisation of grief counselling is needed. Western counselling theories pose challenges for special deaths in Africa. This study explores cultural understanding of twin burial rituals. Twins who have undergone twin death rituals report better grief coping. Culturally sensitive counselling needed

Paper long abstract:

Contemporary African society is characterised by indigenous and imported religions. In response to the need for decolonisation of African indigenous religions and inclusion of African concepts and discourses, this paper argues for decolonisation of grief counselling. While decolonisation of counselling has been a subject of academic discussion, the specific area of counselling in the context of twin deaths has received limited attention. Counselling theories, methods, and models commonly employed for training and providing counselling services in Africa are often derived from the west, posing challenges of appropriateness within an African framework. In Africa, particular attention must be given to what are known as "special deaths," including deaths of twins, traditional doctors, and individuals with albinism. These special deaths often involve unique rituals and cultural beliefs therefore a comprehensive understanding of such is significant for Counselling. This two-year qualitative-auto-ethnographic study examines the cultural understanding of twin grief, the available psycho-social support systems for the bereaved, and the experiences of twin-less twins in Kweneng and North East Districts of Botswana, which are geographically and ethnically distinct. Purposive sampling of twin-less twins, their parents and local counsellors were selected for in-depth interviews. An important finding is that twins who have undergone the twin death rituals report better coping with the loss compared to those who sought professional counselling. This paper argues that, given the dynamic nature of society, a cross-pollination of Western and local grief counselling practices is essential when addressing twin grief counselling in a more inclusive and culturally sensitive manner.

Paper short abstract:

Drawing from the Ujama theoretical lens and the Sankofa research method, the paper probes the intermingling of Igbo endogenous spirituality/religion and the expressive culture of the Ofo institution in the Igbo culture area of Southeast Nigeria.

Paper long abstract:

The paper probes the intermingling of Igbo endogenous spirituality/religion and the expressive culture of the Ofo institution in the Igbo culture area of Southeast Nigeria. The Ofo stick, a branchlet of the tree known as detarium elastica, is a material and mystical symbol of truth, justice and authority among the Igbo ethnic group. Upon procurement, it is consecrated and ritualized by the eldest male member of the family, lineage, kindred or village. This confers him with the requisite human and spiritual authority to administer the group in all matters through regular communion with the divinities - the Supreme Being or God, deities, gods, spirit beings and the ancestors - for peace, harmony and overall development of the collectivity. The inherent fundamental principle in the Ofo institution is that right (justice) is might; and justice is believed to foster peaceful co-existence, social cohesion and harmony. The commingling of the cultural, spiritual and metaphysical dimensions/import of the rituals and practices associated with Ofo has been an understudied aspect of Igbo religious culture. The study adopts the Sankofa African research method, leveraging contextual-descriptive analysis of data gathered through ethnographic, historical, and documentary approaches. The Ujama theoretical lens (African community theory) is adopted, and I argue for the interconnection or unity of Igbo culture and spirituality. Moreover, the rationale for the continuity and resilience of the Ofo institution is its enduring significance in spite of the onslaught of external influences in the colonial and postcolonial eras of African history. The paper aims to make informed contribution to the discourse on decolonizing Africa’s endogenous spirituality/religions.

Paper short abstract:

There is a renewed effort to promote Àdìmúlà, a religion found among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria. In 2023 the government approved a public holiday to mark Ìsèse, beyond holidays, how can doctrines, concepts and theories be developed to reconfigure African religious traditions.

Paper long abstract:

Endogenous religions are an integral feature of Africa’s societies, and Nigeria is not different, as Àdìmúlà, a religion found among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria is enjoying new attention. In 2023 the government approved laws that provided for a public holiday to mark Ìsèse (traditional religious feast) moving the trajectory of the traditional religions from rejection to approval like Christianity and Islam. This development is seen as an effort to reposition the traditional religions of the Africans against the widely ill-conceived ideas about ‘African Traditional Religions’. The declaration of public holidays is seen as a good step in support of the endogenous religions, but there is a need to clearly conceptualise doctrines and theory in these religions. This paper is to consider the progress made in terms of development of doctrines, concepts and theories in view of a template for the reconfigurations of African religious traditions. This will be achieved through interviews with leaders of Adimula in selected religious spaces in the southwest of Nigeria on the plans and prospects for the future.

Paper short abstract:

This abstract explores the cultural and spiritual significance of Oriki, a form of traditional praise poetry, among the Yoruba people in southwestern Nigeria. Focusing on panegyrics, the study delves into how Oriki serves as a spiritual text, intertwining linguistic artistry with religious beliefs.

Paper long abstract:

Current studies on Oriki within the Yoruba cultural context have primarily explored its cultural and historical aspects, neglecting its literary and linguistic properties, especially its spiritual signifiers. While Oriki is acknowledged as traditional praise poetry, its nuanced language and literary devices connecting to spiritual meanings remain understudied. This research addresses this gap by scrutinizing the linguistic and literary dimensions of Oriki, emphasizing its spiritual significance within the broader cultural context.

The aim is to unravel Oriki's literary and linguistic properties, focusing on its spiritual signifiers. The study contributes to understanding how Oriki functions as a spiritual text within Yoruba cultural practices, emphasizing linguistic elements carrying profound religious connotations.

Employing literary analysis and linguistic scrutiny, the research method draws from linguistic studies, literary analysis, and cultural anthropology. This comprehensive approach uncovers literary techniques, metaphors, and linguistic nuances embedded in Oriki, exploring their role in conveying spiritual meanings within the Yoruba cultural context.

The findings illuminate Oriki's rich literary and linguistic tapestry, showcasing its role as a spiritual text. Specific linguistic choices and literary devices act as gateways to the spiritual realm, deepening our understanding of language, literature, and spirituality intertwining. The study's significance lies in contributing to linguistic and cultural studies, offering insights into preserving spiritual beliefs through linguistic expressions within traditional societies.

Paper short abstract:

The paper examines and analyses the symbols and imageries in the artworks in religious shrines in Ile-Ife to reconfigure the Yorùbá tradition and initial perception of the art in African Traditional Religion by the missionaries.

Paper long abstract:

Art is as old as human religion in traditional African societies. The early man used art to express his feelings in service to the Supreme Being through the medium of lesser gods and goddesses. This was perceived by the colonial masters to be evil and, hence condemned. However, human generations from inception are accustomed to the use of art to embellish places of worship and facilitate worship. Many Yorùbá communities value art in places of worship as part of their lifestyles. The ancient town of Ile-Ife, the ancestral home of the Yorùbá and mythological source of gods and humans is a notable example. The paper examines and analyses the symbols and imageries in the artworks in religious shrines in Ile-Ife to reconfigure the Yorùbá tradition and initial perception of the art in African Traditional Religion by the missionaries. It specifically examines the use and relevance of art in worship centers such as Òkè Mògún, Ilẹ̀ Oòduà, Ọbàtálá, Ìta Ọ̀sun and Òrìsa Ìkirè’s temples, and their acceptability by people. The study engages a qualitative approach to research: oral interviews, and direct observation of the art images in places of worship. The descriptive Approach of Art History will be used to analyse the symbols and imageries, and people’s perception of the art. The paper proposes that art and spirituality are relevant in all religions and that traditional African art and spirituality were wrongly perceived by colonial masters to be evil and demonic, hence, decolonising the terms used to describe traditional African art.

Paper short abstract:

Across Africa, many Christians and Muslims associate indigenous African traditions with backwardness and witchcraft. This paper examines how Giriama people in coastal Kenya protect their indigenous traditions against such criticism, by (re)presenting it as art, religion, or heritage.

Paper long abstract:

In many African societies today, Christians, Muslims and state actors denigrate indigenous African traditions as backward, idolatrous, and connected to witchcraft (Kresse 2019; Smith 2008; Larkin and Meyer 2006). This puts pressure on indigenous groups who struggle to preserve and practice their traditions. This also pertains to the Giriama, who coexist with Christians and Muslims in coastal Kenya (McIntosh 2009). This paper examines attempts of Giriama people to protect their indigenous traditions against Muslim and Christian criticism by arguing their traditions are not witchcraft, but art, heritage, or religion instead. These are different frames through which elements of the past are selected as relevant for the present (cf. Burchardt 2020). These frames circulate globally, and thus are not initially of the Giriama’s own making. This raises pertinent questions about the opportunities and challenges these frames offer for marginalized indigenous groups who wish to preserve their traditions. This paper addresses these questions based on an examination of attempts of Giriama people to gain recognition by (re)presenting their indigenous traditions as arts (usanii), religion (dini), or heritage and culture (utamaduni). The paper asks: what elements of Giriama tradition are highlighted and/or downplayed when Giriama people creatively (re)frame their traditions in these ways? How do these articulations overlap or contradict with understandings and evaluations of Christians, Muslims, and others with whom they interact? And how do different articulations of Giriama tradition allow for various ways to understand and regulate diversity?

Paper short abstract:

This study reveals that endogenous African traditional religions have not been obliterated by exogenous religions. Rather, its crucial components have been tacitly and uncritically reconfigured into Christian frameworks like the African Independent Churches and exogenous mainstream traditions.

Paper long abstract:

A significant corpus of scholarly literature on African Religious Traditions (ART) is authored in Western construct, and from the periphery of African context. A corollary is the misleading amalgam that ignores crucial intrinsic religious categories and components of ART, that define the latter as a religious entity in its own right. Meanwhile, the encounter of endogenous religious traditions with exogenous counterparts like Christianity, seems to showcase the cogency and resilience of the ART. The integration by some African Independent Churches (AIC) of traditions such as the use of potent items, and the veneration of dead-but-canonized saints by some exogenous mainstream churches, illustrate the resurgence or rather a reconfiguration of ART. David Adamo’s “Postcolonial Round of Engagement”; Yusufu Turaki’s Theological Methodology and framework of six-fold foundation are all useful in redefining the nomenclature and the taxonomy of reconfiguration. Without attempting an exhaustive investigation of ART or the AICs, this inquiry concerns itself chiefly with an appraisal of trans-religious influences, a probing of intersection or divergence of traditions and praxis between the ART, and Christian traditions. The research employed a purposive random sampling technique and a mixed method of data collection. The researcher collected data from 532 respondents and analyzed these, using techniques germane to each type. The findings indicate a matrix, where engrained ART beliefs pervade exogenous religious praxis. This study further shows how endogenous religions reconfigure in Christian frameworks, and suggests a redefined approach to the study of ART.

Keywords: African Religious Traditions, African Independent Churches, Trans-religious Influence, Religious reconfiguration.