The shadow of prejudice

by Ogotemmeli

Religious statistics on Africa show that over sixty percent of Africans are defined as

Zillig, Matt "Installation of Chief Munkanta", Luapula Province, Zambia. University of Wisconsin- Madison Libraries.Africa Focus 2000

"animists". High level international and state administrators, social scientists and high level European, American and even African intellectuals say that animism often just means superstition and is a de facto indicator of cultural regression. But there is a lurking suspicion: could it be that the image of a stereotyped and negative sub-Saharan Africa, is spread also outside the media, andmay have something to do with animism?

What is certain is that, for some years now, a movement of intellectuals - especially, but not only, African - has been working to reassess the traditional religions of Africa, contesting the usual approach of religious disciplines and of anthropology, starting from the name itself (the word "animism" was born in a colonialist context, so to speak) to then come to grips with the crux of the matter: the relationship between traditional African religions (the plural is more appropriate!) and social ethics.

This theme is important for the diaspora because it affects the possibility of proudly affirming one's original identity which is an essential phase in the integration process in host countries if one wishes to avoid the psychological and social damage caused by total assimilation.

The contribution made by many religious organisations for the social development of less developed countries is undeniable. The great religions of East Asia, as well as Islam and Christianity, in all its different denominations, all have their rightful place - each with its own features, problems and virtues - in the process of constructing more just and fair societies that are especially more sensitive to the needs of the weak and the poor. The matter is quite different for traditional African religions, at least at the representation level. Some relevant questions in this regard: what is the relationship between so-called animism and African modernity? What is the relationship between the African middle classes and traditional religions? There again, are these religions still very traditional or are they somehow involved in the process of modernisation underway in different ways in African societies?