Religious Traditions in Africa: An Overview of Origins, Basic Beliefs, and Practices

Abstract

Africa is a massive continent with diverse religious traditions, to the extent that within the same tradition there have been variations. The three main religious traditions—African traditional religion, Christianity, and Islam—constitute the triple religious heritage of the African continent. This heritage, though contemporarily more dynamically evidenced, has a long history and influence. In the case of African traditional religion, it can be traced back to the very beginning of the emergence of African peoples. For Christianity, it is the first century AD, and maybe beyond; and for Islam the seventh century. The central place of religion that has become so evident in any meaningful understanding of African life in all its ramifications—social, economic, and political—gives credence to Mbiti’s statement that African people are “notoriously religious.”¹ Consequently, Africans have evolved and sustained religiously conscious communities, either as devotees of the traditional religion, or as followers of the two “converting religions”—Christianity and Islam.