the number and extent of its rays. The sun is pre-
sent in its rays; it heats and brightens through its
rays, yet the rays of the sun singly or together are
not the sun. Thus, the vital force, which is the
being of the ancestor, can be present in one or sev-
eral of the living members of a clan, without the
life-giving will or vital influence being diminished.
To use the same analogy of the sun, one can say
that the rays of the sun are subordinate to the sun,
just as the living are subordinate to the ancestor.
The human is a causal force and therefore can
sustain and enrich life whether the human is liv-
ing or dead. Thus, when Africans say that an
ancestor has been reborn, it must be understood
that the rebirth may happen in several individu-
als, and yet the ancestor cannot be diminished by
this act. African philosophers understand that
the use of the termsreturnorreborncannot be
translated by the wordreincarnationbecause the
newborn children are not the same as the
deceased, and their births are not the end of the
deceased ancestors’ lives in the world of the
departed.
More important, one must realize that Africans
believe in the biological conception of children;
the influence of the ancestor, which has been
called reincarnation, is subsequent to conception.
The human being in the mother’s womb finds that
the ontological influence of an ancestor occurs
during this time. When one says that a deceased
“reincarnates” in grandchildren, it is not to say
that the ancestors cease to exist. They still con-
tinue to live in the afterlife.
A proper understanding of African ontology
would create a respect for the African’s
approach to eternal ritualizing of ancestors
through living perpetuation of the ancestors and
see it as an act of community, kinship reaffirma-
tion, inspirational influence, and participation
in the continuity of society. Unfortunately, we
are left with the Platonic terminology and con-
ception that hampers and hinders clarity. This
discussion of the concept as it relates to Africa
should be seen as a measure to bring light to the
issue.
Molefi Kete AsanteSeealsoAfterlife; Death
Further Readings
Jahn, J. (1961).Muntu:An Outline of the New African
Culture. New York: Grove Press.
Onyewuenyi, I. (1996).African Belief in Reincarnation:
A Philosophical Appraisal. Enugu, Nigeria: Snaap
Press.
Tempels, P. (1969).Bantu Philosophy. Paris: Présence
Africaine.RESISTANCE TOENSLAVEMENT
What is the attitude of African traditional religion
vis-à-vis oppressive rulers and oppressive institu-
tions such as the slave trade, colonialism, or local
dictatorship? To raise such a question is to address
the problematic issue of whether religion per se is
a force of progress and liberation or an obscuran-
tist weapon of mass destruction. The answer to
such a question is made extremely complicated by
the complex history of Africa. On the one hand,
forms of slavery existed in Africa, apparently
introduced by Islam, as they did in ancient Greece,
Rome, Christian Europe, Asia, and the Islamic
world. On the other hand, the principle of
Bumuntu, which stands at the core of African tra-
ditional religion, bears witness to high moral stan-
dards that condemn all forms of enslavement as
contrary to the will of the ancestors and as a form
of evil that hinders one’s ability to join the village
of the ancestors and to enjoy a blissful existence
in the afterlife. It is clear that slavery in Africa
was viewed as a form of punishment. To enslave
another human being or to wage war recklessly
was to partake in radical forms of social and
moral evil. This is why slave traders and African
dictators are referred to as witches by common
folks.
In a world where historically Christianity and
Islam have been heralded as paths of liberation
from traditional oppressive customs, the liberat-
ing nature of traditional religion has been largely
overlooked or obscured. Yet it is traditional reli-
gion that provided a moral compass to millions of
people throughout centuries and that still guides
the existence of many today. The fact that colonial
regimes heavily targeted traditional religion as the
breeding ground of rebellion is an eloquentResistance to Enslavement 567