phenomenon in which heaven and Earth, vari-
ous levels of humans, spirits that are terrestrial
and celestial, and ancestors all dwell in a power-
ful drama of maintaining the moral order, keep-
ing harmony in place. Because this order works
to the benefit of everyone, it behooves the living
to do everything in their might to maintain this
order. One thing they cannot do is offend or dis-
please the ancestors in any way. Therefore, one
lives with a constant understanding of the bal-
ance that is necessary to keep harmony.
Once a person ends terrestrial existence, the
departed becomes a member of the mediators in
the invisible world. But the departed are never far
away from their old communities. In fact, they
take the harmony of their old communities quite
seriously and, as privileged personalities, are con-
sulted on a regular basis.
Thus, dependence on the ancestors is the key to
appreciating African religion. The preponderant
nature of the ancestral world is such that the
ancestors are everywhere and are entitled to supe-
rior powers giving them authority to keep the
living community harmonious. In reality, this con-
ception of the ancestors depends on the under-
standing of death as the end of the biological
world, but the entrance into the afterlife, where
the spiritual world is filled with energies that
affect the living world.
Ideas About Time and ImmortalityFurthermore, there is a belief in immortality; it is
a belief that supports the idea that divinity is wor-
thy of being respected and worshipped. When one
appreciates the nature of time as an active present,
then one can see how the ancestors are constant
even in their immortality.
Every community is a present community; it
does not live in the past, although the past is heav-
ily subscribed to in a historical sense. Thus, time
is different in the African communal sense than
time in the Western sense. Consequently, sacrifice,
redemption, and the world to come are lived in
the present. There can be no resurrection either
because everything is present, including the activi-
ties of the ancestors.
Now the elders remain alive in the commu-
nity as guides. Although they are physically
absent, they are spiritually active and always
present. What does a guide do? He is responsi-
ble for the well-being of the community. As
such, the ancestor oversees the harmony of the
society, guarantees fertility, serves as protector
of the children, and establishes good health for
his descendants.
There are six general prerogatives of the ancestors:- Control of the society’s filiations
- Control of the metaphysical and social order
- Protection of agricultural rites and keeping the
land fertile - Sustaining of unity and harmony
- Reinforcement of group cohesion
- Maintenance of harmony between the living
and dead
The ceremonies and rituals that are made to
the ancestors reinforce the bonds between the
ancestors and the living, thus ensuring harmony
in the community. Neglecting the rituals is tanta-
mount to asking for ill fortune and even death.
Everything is linked in the community, and the
living members of the community are responsible
for the journey of the ancestors into the next
world. Ancestors and other divinities are the
recipients and beneficiaries of the rituals made by
the living. They need these forces as they negoti-
ate their way through the universe. Thus, the gen-
erating balance and the extraordinary attention
paid to the community is one of symbiosis. If the
community really wants the intervention of the
ancestors, then the community must show its
support and appreciation for the ancestors by
performing the ritual duties.
When one speaks of the harmonious commu-
nity in the African sense, one is speaking of the
interrelationship between the living and the dead,
the balance between heaven and Earth, male and
female, good and evil, and the visible and the
invisible. To hold this phenomenal situation in
cohesion takes the rituals and ceremonies of the
living and the interventions of the ancestors. In
the end, harmony is achieved.Molefi Kete AsanteSee alsoAncestors; PersonhoodAncestors and Harmonious Life 53