because, accordingly, it represents the state in which
the world/Earth originated—“a burning planet.”
Thus, fire is central to how African people under-
stand the structure and order of the universe. More
specifically, the universe is conceptualized as a spiri-
tual force providing for the sustenance of human
existence in both physical and spiritual realities.
Therefore, fire is an aspect of all African spiritual
systems connected via some spiritual essence, sug-
gesting a harmonious relationship between humans
and natural phenomena.
This notion of fire as the first element is most
prominent in the Dagara cosmology, where fire is
believed to exist in everything as well as every-
thing being in need of it because fire collided with
water, which gave birth to life on Earth. Ancient
Kemetic thought and practice also privilege the
element of fire above the others, as conceptualized
in the sun god Ra—the creator of everything.
Egyptians came to worship Ra for providing and
sustaining the life of the people. In turn, fire came
to symbolize the sun on the Earth. As representa-
tive of the African cosmology, this dictated how
their existence was viewed—consistent with bal-
ancing nature of Maat—possessing both positive
and negative characteristics and consequences.
Fire can sustain life as well as cause much
destruction, similar to the Dogon understanding
of the oppositional character of the universe: All
things in nature are believed to possess a spiritual
force that brings either prosperity or hardship.
The element of fire is also representative of par-
ticular personalities and cultures. A “fire person” is
believed to possess high levels of vision and passion
and is active. Additionally, because fire is seen as
the doorway to the world of the ancestors, one pos-
sessing this characteristic is able to interpret dreams
and lives in the future and is often misunderstood.
However, a person possessing the negative aspects
of fire is filled with restlessness, resulting in even-
tual death. In many African societies, the culture of
fire is believed to be one of destruction.
Weckea D.LillySee alsoAncestors; Fertility
Further Readings
Karenga, M. (2006).Maat:The Moral Ideal in Ancient
Egypt. Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press.
Mbiti, J. (1969).African Religions and Philosophy.
Oxford, UK: Heinemann.
Some, M. P. (1998).The Healing Wisdom of Africa:
Finding Life Purpose Through Nature,Ritual,and
Community. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam.FLAG AND FLAGPLANTING
The flag is especially significant in the African
spiritual system because it symbolizes the connec-
tions among human beings and so helps to con-
nect human beings to each other to form
communities. It is a marker of remembrance and
love. It connects and unites into one community
all humans of a particular familial, spiritual,
social, political, or even military group: those past
(the ancestors), those living (who are in this
dimension of time), and those who are yet to come
(the unborn). The flag may also connect the mem-
bers of a community to divinity because, as the
divine symbol of a particular community (a family,
a clan, a nation), it may also recall and represent
a founding ancestor, although it may also represent
an animal or an object that equally may embody
the principles, vital forces, or soul of the community
in question.
The fundamental understandings that instruct
flag planting are the interrelation of all beings and
things in the cosmos and, as a consequence, the
critical importance of humans maintaining their
connections with these forces, especially the Creator,
their ancestors, with the living and the unborn and
with the environment in which they live.
Today, flags are regularly planted in special rit-
uals and ceremonies held within an African spiri-
tual community (e.g., in Vodu, in the Orisha
tradition, and, indeed, all over the African spiri-
tual world). Flags are considered symbolic, espe-
cially to particular social and religious groups,
and may even be held as sacred by some. This
entry describes the flag and its use and recalls its
long history in Africa.Description and Use
Flags, standards, ensigns, pennants, and streamers
are not always one and the same thing. Strictly
speaking, a flag is a piece of cloth that is flown
attached to a pole. Its color and/or the representation268 Flag and Flag Planting