precolonial Africa. Further, the influence of
Islam and Christianity has impacted African cre-
ation myths as well as traditional intra- and
intercultural exchange as a contributor to the
various interpretations of creation with respect
to African peoples.
Regional Myths and LegendsIn eastern and southern Africa, there are a variety
of creation legends. The Kamba in eastern Kenya
and northern Tanzania (into southwestern Kenya)
believe that the Supreme God, Ngai, created man
and that man’s ancestors communicate with god.
In east South Africa, among the Zulu, the great
God, Unkulunkulu, rises from a primordial
marshland to go on and create the Earth. The
southern African creation stories consistently fea-
ture the work of the Supreme Being. The Lozi in
Zambia are witness to the creation of Kamura
(the first human beings) by Nyambe. Nyambe cre-
ated everything, including man, his own wife, and
mother. In Malawi, God Chuita created the Earth
and became aligned with rain and fertility among
the Tumbuka people.
In the Congo region, Efile Mokulu, god among
the Baluba, not only created the world and
mankind—but he gave human beings their heart
energy and balanced all of the forces of nature.
The Bambuti (BaMbuti) god, Khonvoum, created
the world and then made man from the Earth.
Further, Bumba, god of the Bushongo, also created
the heavens, plants, animals, and human beings.
In northeast Africa and the Sudan, God is con-
sistently self-existing. Among the Dinka in south-
eastern Sudan and southwestern Ethiopia, the
Supreme Being Nhialic was present at the moment
of creation. Associated with sky and rain, Nhialic
also controls the fate of all living things.
The ancient Egyptians (Kmt) of northeastern
Africa have one of the oldest sets of creation narra-
tives in the world. There are many localized beliefs
about creation. However, one of the most persistent
involves the preexisting primordial waters (the
chaos of precreation) in which Ra-Atum rose and
created Shu and Telfnut (Air and Moisture). They
created Nut and Geb (Sky and Earth), who
produced the God pantheon: Osiris, Isis, Seth,
Nepthys, and Horus-the-Elder. The creation of the
Earth out of chaos sets the stage for the drama of
good and evil, birth and resurrection among the
ancient Egyptians.
In West Africa, particularly in Ghana, the
Supreme Being is omnipresent and omniscient.
Among the Akan, Brekyerehunuade is the high
God who knows everything within the affairs of
mankind. In the Ashanti tradition, Nyame, the
Supreme Being is married to Goddess Asase Yaa
(an Earth goddess). They give birth to the divine
children, Bia and Tano. Tano is the father of the
divinities within this pantheon. The Fon of Benin
recognize Mawu/Lisa, the God who created the
world and brought order and balance to it.
Mawu/Lisa created plants, animals, and humans,
and gives humans everything to be successful in
the world.
In Nigeria and Cameroon, the creator, Abassi,
and his Goddess wife, Atai, created two human
children who were the first people on the Earth.
The Igbo (Ibo) of southeastern Nigeria believe
that the Great Spirit Chukwu created everything
that exists. The Dogon of Mali and Burkino Faso
believe that the creator God Amma fashioned the
Earth out of clay and populated it with the four
ancestral pairs: Arou, Dyon, Ono, and Domnu. In
the Yoruba tradition, the Supreme Being, Olorun
Oludumare, tasked Oduduwa to create the Earth
and take sacred clay and create human beings. In
one version of the narrative, Oduduwa acciden-
tally creates the Earth on top of the primordial
waters at Ile Ife, and Obatala goes on to bring
humans into being. Important symbol implements
of this creation include the metal with which a
rooster scratched and expanded the land and the
palm seed that provided the plant matter.Implications for Human Beings
African creation narratives seek to describe divine
justice and the rules that human beings should fol-
low. Many African creation narratives strongly
feature the idea of infusing God’s power energy
into the human being and also focus on the theme
of destiny and fate of man. African creation nar-
ratives also explore the challenges of chaos and
the benefits of establishing order. In addition, they
initiate the processes of human birth and death by
giving cosmic reasons for life and mortality.Creation 185