Establecimiento de controles clave.

185

now identified as the deil). It is said that during this encounter, the devil was destroyed and for this reason, they often invoke God, as “the Lord, ruler, and He is the father of our fathers”. Furthermore, the Xhosa speaking people called God “Uthixo” which means “God the maker or creator”. The name is believed to be a modification of the Hottentots name for God. However, the claims living different from their frontiers have retained the Xhosa names for God such as “Udali” which mean “maker or creator” and “Umenziu” which implies “the being who produced the great works of nature.

186

doubt that creation originated from the Supreme Being himself. He has absolute power over his creatures and no creature has reason to boast to himself. The capacity of God as a creator made the Yoruba has to call Him “Eleeda” which means “creator” or “owner of creation”.

The Igbo’s calls Him “Chineke” meaning “the spirit that creates” or “source of being that creates”. The Tiv call Him “Gba-Aôndo” which means “God the creator of the universe”

while the Edo people call Him “Osanobowa” meaning the source being who carries and sustains the universe”.

Equally, the Akan of Ghana call Him “Odomokoma” meaning “the creator of the universe”. The Nupe illustrates this creative attribute of God in their song, which says that

“Soko” is the creator of the cosmos and all that is in it. He is responsible for the ultimate issues of life and death and He is the only one responsible for the vital principle of life or the essence or personality in humankind. The Kulung people also believe that “Yamba” (God the creator), is the giver of life and preserver of all things, while the Sura of Pamyam says

“nam”, (God) is the maker of the world and the one who sends down rain to his people.

God as King

God is the king with unique and incomparable attributes. The Africans venerate Him with higher regard than any respect given to an earthly king. The Yoruba’s call him “Oba orun, “Oba-Aterere Kari aiye or Oba Asekaan Maku” which means the king who does the work with perfection”. The Igbo call God “Eze Nde Welu” or “Ezeelu” which means “the king in heaven”. For the Mende, God is the head of the universe. The Nupe says that God is the “Isoci” which means He is the only one who reigns”, ownes us” or is “our Lord”. The Akan people of Ghana put it in this way, “the earth is wide, but Onyamse is the head”. As king, God is omnipotent and the sovereign ruler of the universe. He is also the father of all and he is capable of doing everything. For the Tiv, God is described as the one surrounding the whole world with moon, sun and stars under his control. Thus, the Tiv people call Him

“Aôndo u akuma a sha” meaning “God the owner and king of the universe”. The Idoma people believed that there is a strong cult of the earth but if God likes he can spoil the earth.

God is the Judge

When Africans talk of God as a judge as a judge they include everything in association with justice, punishments and retribution. He is the impartial judge who dispenses

187

justice and punishes offenders (1 Kings 8:31-32). It is an inbuilt retributive principle which deals with dispensation of justice, reward and punishment in the now and hereafter. The Igbo’s believed that God dispensation of justice and punishment are according to each person’s offence in the daily occurrences of individual lives. As a king and judge, God inflicts several punishments on the hard hearted and un-hospitable ones in their societies. The Yoruba’s call Him “Oba Adakedejo” meaning “the king whose judgment is executed in silence”. The Idoma’s refers to Him as “he who embodies retributive justice”.

The Tiv call Him “a perfect judge who allots vengeance to wrong doers”. Thus, in African traditional society, the judgment of God is a conception, which is real, and not just a matter of intellectual knowledge. However, there are cases of God’s wraths in the world, which indicates that the judgment of God is just. He judges human beings as a creator in a pluralistic manner and His judgment starts here on earth and continues in the hereafter. The wrongdoers are punished, while, the good ones are rewarded by Him. The African people believe that God is an angry God who detests evil of all kinds. Hence, the Tiv people conceptualized the anger of God in the lightning and thunder that struck trees, buildings animals, and human beings.

Among the Yoruba’s the anger of God is demonstrated in the fight between “Sango”

and “Jakuta” (the thunder and fire divinities of Yoruba land). The Nupe people described the anger of God as the “axe of God”. The Tiv described the anger of God as “Nyiar I Aôndo”

meaning “the thunder of God”. While for the Igbo’s, name “Amadioha” expresses the anger of God as one who thunders. The Akan said that “Onyame” himself is one who bears the axe of punishment. He is judge because He is perfect, all wise, all knowing and all seeing. The Nuer people also believe that God punishes wrong doing and reward uprightness. While Evambo people believe that murder and stealing are punishable by God. All these concrete examples mentioned above show how African people conceive God as the supreme judge who acts without impartiality. He is said to have the sun, moon, and the firmament as His eyes that helps Him to see and know even the most hidden secrets of human thought and actions in the world.

God is Immortal

Immortality of God implies that He is eternal. The general belief of African people is that God never dies. He is always here and there and He is present with His creatures. God is eternal because, if he ceases to be nothing else will remain. He lives forever to satisfy the

188

human soul as an everlasting reality whose being stretches to eternity. Among the Yoruba’s, there is a belief that God is Almighty, immovable and hard rock that never die he has no beginning or end. Thus, the Kono people call Him “meketa” which means “the everlasting one” or “the one who remains and does not die”. The Nupe expresses his idea clearly, when they say, “soko is in front, and soko is at the back”.

God is Transcendent

God is transcendent because he lives high above the earth. However, His transcendent does not in any way do not imply geographical location nor does it signify the car distance of God with His creatures. It rather shows the closeness of God to His creatures. He is present everywhere. This superlative and unique attribute of God raises God far above all other divinities and human beings. The transcendent nature of God shows his uniqueness as one who is “wholly order” and brought nature into being. However, God is not a nature God because He surpasses all things.

He is imminent and operative in the world and there is no time when the world is outside the scope of His vigilance or He is not in control of the universe. The Yoruba’s expresses the immanent and transcendent nature of God in an adage, which says, “aterere-ka-aiye” meaning “God is a Being whose nature spread over the whole earth”. Thus, the people call Him “oba-oke” which means “the king who live above” or “the high up king”.

They also refer to Him as “Oba-orun” meaning “the king of heaven”. The Akan of Ghana also praises God as: he who is there now as was from the ancient times” or “he who endures forever”.

God is Supreme

The supremacy of God shows His omnipotent, which He exercises over the world.

God is supreme because there is nothing that he cannot do. He is the absolute ruler of the world. In addition, His theoretic rulership of the world according to African belief has no dualism. The Yoruba’s call Him “Olodumare” which means “the Almighty King” or “the most powerful ruler who is able to do all things, anything and everything”. He is a king with a unique crown and absolute authority. He can do and undo things without questioning Him.

The Akan people of Ghana said that God is the only Great King who alone does things at will without consulting any person. His decisions are final and no one can question His authority.

189

He is the only one all divinities, human beings and all created things derived their being.

However, there are many African mythologies, which show occasional attempts or oppositions on the part of divinities to out weight God. However, these attempts always failed because God’s authority is absolute and final.

God is Omnipresent

God is omnipresent because He is everywhere. God’s universal presence, however, does not make people to build temples for Him. They believe that by so doing his omnipotence will be undermined. Hence, the African people especially the Yoruba’s express the omnipresent nature of God in the saying: “Oba-Aterere Kari aye” meaning “God is the king who spreads everywhere”. Given in above facts, one can conclusively say that the concept of God in African society is a multisided one. It reflects the organizational patterns of the African society despite the diversity in African cultures and ethnicities. In some cultures of African such as Edo, Tiv, Yoruba’s the Idoma’s amongst others where the society is highly organized, God is seen as a supreme king whose theocratic government of the world is ministers by divinities who are appointed over each department of the world.

Amongst the Igbo’s, Akan and many other cultures of Africa, the divine ministerial system of government is no so elaborate. The concept of the ministerial system is not clearly defined or patterned according to the nature of their society. Thus, God is either seen as manifesting Himself through certain natural phenomenon. He is the overall king of the universe and He rules the world with the assistance of other mystical powers, which makes up the world as we can see in the preceding chapter.

4.0 CONCLUSION

As we have stated earlier, it would amount to ignorance to say that Africans do not have an idea of God, prior to the coming of the Europeans. The Africans have their belief about God. However, these beliefs are not written down, but the names given to God and even their children express these truths about God. Manner of worship may also differ from locality but all the same, God is being worshipped.

5.0 SUMMARY

190

The following are the major points that have learnt in this unit:

 God is the common phenomenon of African traditional religion.

 The non-Christian notion of God before the advent of Christianity and Islam was a mixture of polytheism and monotheism.

 The anthropological modern perceptions of God pave way for contemporary understanding of God.

 Among the Africans, God is seen as the source of all things.

 The social political organization of the African society goes a long way to determine the worship of God.

 There is the indirect worship of God, which is more prevalent.

 There is the direct worship of God.

6.0 TOTUR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT

1. Discuss the Western conception of God 2. Give African notion of God

3. Discuss the worship of God in the African traditional religion 4. Give five anthropomorphic attributes of God

5. How is God worship in African society?

7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS

Shorter, A. (1975). African Christian Theology, London: Geoffrey Chapman.

Ikenga-Metuh, E. (1991). African Religions in Western Conceptual Schemes: The Problem of Interpretation. Jos: IMICO Press.

Ikenga-Metuh, E. (1987). Comparative Studies of African Traditional Religions. Onitsha:

IMICO Publishers.

Mbiti, J.S. (1969). African Philosophy and Religions. London: Heinemann, 1990 edition.

191

Idowu, E.B. (1973). African Traditional Religion: A Definition. London: SCM Press Ltd.

On-line Resources

M.O. Ene, “Chi” an internet available at www.kwenu.com

John Mbiti, “General Manifestations of African Religiosity” an internet available at http://afrikaworld.net/afrel/mbiti.htm.

C.K. Rutledge, “African Traditional Religious Beliefs among the Akan” an internet available at www.colanmc.siu.edu

192

UNIT 5 THE NATURE AND CONCEPT OF HUMANITY IN AFRICAN