primal society. Third, it is compulsory; hardly
anyone can default in participating in the collec-
tive religious rites.
Religion as the Opium of the People
Marxists’ interpretation of religion is compati-
ble with sociological theories because Marxists
maintainthatreligionaroseonlyatadefinitestage
of societies’ development because of its role in the
society. This role, Marx contends, is antirevolu-
tionary.First,Marxconsidersthattherichandthe
nobles believe in God for economic reasons. They
take advantage of religion to maintain the status
quo. Second, for Marx, religion is utilized by the
exploiting class as a tool to defend exploitation
and strengthen the rule of the exploiters. Third,
religion is effectively manipulated to “drug” the
working class to keep them in perpetual slavery.
This is why he calls religion an opium. Fourth, by
doing the above, religion effectively diverts the
attention of working people from the most burn-
ingissueofreality,fromtherevolutionarystruggle
against exploitation and for a just and humane
society. Fifth, the working class or proletariat
believes in God and perpetuates religion because
of economic pressures. In Africa, it is a person’s
incorporation in the society that makes one a real
person.
As far as scholars have discovered, the tradi-
tional cultures of Africa—whether Yoruba, Igbo,
Kikuyu, Zulu, or any others—are dependent on
the first ancestors for religious inclinations. Thus,
the earliest ancestor or ancestors create the con-
text for rituals, ceremonies, sacred places, acts of
valor, and ideas concerning life, birth, death, and
ethics.Thesearethecentralconcernsintheorigin
of African religion.
Deji AyegboyinSee alsoOntology
Further Readings
Ade, D., Asante, M. K., & Nwadiora, E. (2007).Spear
Masters:An Introduction to African Religion.
Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
Barnes, S. T. (1989).Africa’s Ogun. Bloomington &
Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
Danquah, J. B. (1968).The Akan Doctrine of God.
London: Frank Cass.
Eastwood, C. C. (1964).Life and Thought in the
Ancient World. London: University of London Press.
Gehman, R. (1989).African Traditional Religion in
Biblical Perspective. Kijabe, Kenya: Kesho.
Gleason, J. (1987).Oya:In Praise of the Goddess.
Boston: Shambhala.
Idowu, E. B. (1973).African Traditional Religion:A
Definition. London: SCM Press.
Mbiti, J. S. (1969).African Traditional Religion and
Philosophy. London: Heinemann.
Parrinder, E. G. (1976).Africa’s Three Religions.
London: Sheldon Press.ORISHA
The termorisharefers primarily to the indigenous
deities of the Yoruba people of southwestern
Nigeria,butalsoextendsbeyondthisethnicgroup.
Some of the Yoruba orisha—such as Ifa, Ogun,
Shango, Eshu, and Olokun—appear in the religion
of the Bini of southeastern Nigeria (who also call
themorisha),inthereligionoftheEwe,andamong
the Fon of the Benin Republic, who call them
voduns. Although there is much variation in the
detailsoftheritualsandmythologyofthesedeities
among these West African peoples, the underlying
religiousconceptisessentiallythesame.
Duringthe18thand19thcenturies,thousandsof
Yoruba, Bini, Ewe, and Fon people were enslaved,
uprooted, and imported to the Americas.
In some locations in the Caribbean Islands and
South America, they were able to reestablish the
worshipoftheorishaandmaintainitduringslav-
ery and after its abolition. In these places, wor-
shippersusethetermorishauptothepresentday.
In the social and cultural environments of the
Americas, the orisha concept underwent some
subtle but significant changes. This entry, how-
ever, is devoted to an explanation of the tradi-
tional West African religious conception.A Complex Unity
Definingorishasimply as deities does not do jus-
tice to the concept. Viewed in symbolic terms, an
orisha may be said to arise from the convergenceOrisha 503