Rituals Connect Communities
to God and AncestorsThe African worldview is holistic, and its spiritual
philosophy does not distinguish sharply between
sacred and mundane experience. Everything is con-
nected. A Supreme Being exists who resides in every-
thing that exists and is therefore part of everything
that exists. African rituals are the ultimate expres-
sion of this worldview. This can be demonstrated
using the Akan concept of God as an example.
Among the Akan, Odomankoma (also known
as Nyankopon, Nyame, Onyame, and other
names) is, first and foremost, the Great Ancestor.
Every head of a family or community is under-
stood to be descended from and must live accord-
ing to the dignity of the first ancestor. It follows as
well that there is connectedness in all life, includ-
ing human life, that is realized through the contin-
uous flow of blood from the Great Source who is
Odomankoma. Throughout the African world, it
is understood that to be human means to belong to
a community. The purpose of community for the
Akan is to ensure the continuity of the connection
with Odomankoma, who is the source of all life.
Belonging to a community obligates one to par-
ticipate in the rituals and rites attendant to the
community’s beliefs, ceremonies, and festivals.
Furthermore, it is believed that the Dead form a
community of their own, which exists alongside
the community of the living, and the two are
assumed to be united in a partnership beneficial to
both communities. Through communities, the col-
lective responsibility of humanity is reflected in
efforts to affirm the value of life and endeavors to
create and maintain a quality of living that lives
up to the dignity of the original ancestor. For the
descendants of the first ancestor to fall short of
the ideal is a contradiction of the responsibility
that befalls humanity and that should serve as its
inspiration. Through rituals, new life is given to
the African spirit.
Rituals Take Many FormsThere are many types of rituals practiced among
Africans, and not all Africans practice the same
rituals in the same way. The premise that underlies
rituals is the perception of the individual existing
as part of a great stream of life that transcends
the self and links the individual to a “chain of gen-
erations.” This is a vital aspect of the cultural
unity that exists across Africa’s diversity. Rituals
do not conform to calendars. They can be per-
formed at approximately the same time over a
period of time, but they can also be postponed or
held at an earlier time. Some rituals are annual,
whereas others are performed after the passing of
many years. Among the Dogon, for instance, the
Dama Festival, a large collective funeral, takes
place every 12 years to honor all those who have
died during the preceding period and initiate them
into the world of the ancestors.
The timing of some rituals can depend on the
phases of the moon or the changing of the seasons.
Agricultural and nomadic herders who rely on pas-
turelands perform seasonal rituals associated with
ample rain, floods, drought, harvests, and abun-
dant grasses. There are personal rituals that corre-
spond to major events in the human life cycle.
These are performed to mark exiting the spirit
world and entering the physical world at birth,
naming, entry into adult status, marriage, attaining
elder status, and departure from the physical world
and return to the spirit world upon death.
Examples of three types of rituals are discussed
below: seasonal, life cycle, and those associated
with royalty. The extent to which these rituals are
practiced differs among ethnic groups. Clearly,
some may be more widely practiced than others.
Others, due to the cultural impositions of colo-
nialism and neocolonialism, may no longer be
practiced or may be practiced in adapted forms.
The intent here is merely to provide a sense of the
variety of the ways in which African religion man-
ifests its major tenets through rituals.SeasonalRituals
Seasonal rituals are performed to acknowledge
and maintain nature’s balance. From ancient
times, the belief among Africans in the oneness of
the universe has supported the idea of reciprocity
between human beings and the environment. The
balance in nature represents order. This order rep-
resents Maat in the ethical practice that existed
in the progenitor African civilizations of the Nile
Valley. Maat upholds the principle of reciprocity
between God and humans. Whatever is taken
from the Earth must be returned to the Earth.576 Rituals