Fase 2 Planificación.

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(Fola, 2008). They tried to present the traditional worldview along the lines of scholastic philosophy. Their theory of vital force and hierarchy of beings drew mainly on the indigenous religious traditions of the peoples of central Africa suggests that Bantu traditional religion is based on the belief in two worlds: visible and invisible.

These communitarian and hierarchic character of the two worlds show the interaction between the two worlds and the belief in a Supreme Being, creator, and father of all that exist. Parrinder (1974), Forde (1954), also contributed immensely in promoting African Traditional Religion in African continent. Many of his published works tried to correct misconceptions of African culture in western scholarship to show that African people have viable traditional religious ideas, ritual practices, institutions, and values that could be adapted to benefit Christianity in the continent. This however, debunked the fundamental questions generally advanced by European scholars who held that African Traditional Religion is a dead religion or has no relevance in contemporary Nigerian society. It is wrong assumption for the European scholars to say that the idea of God the Blacks have is an importation of the Christian understanding of God, as contended by western and Herskovits.

This way of thinking was due to bias and prejudices against African people, otherwise, how can they think that Africans only claim to have the idea of God?

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descendants to help and protect them as long as these relatives perform certain ceremonies and pay them due respect. Many Africans even trace their origins to their first ancestors.

Some of these culture heroes performed great feats or embodied important values that featured a trickster. However, it has often been said that the idea of Supreme Deity among Africans has been influenced by the advent of Christianity and Islam, can say that this is not completely true as Africans have their own ideas of deity prior to the advent of the westerners. This fact is corroborated with the names given to the deity (God) by the various people groups. Among the Yoruba, for example, the Supreme Deity (God) is called by three distinct names, namely: Olodumare, Olorun, and Olofin-Orun. Olodumare is a word that is made up of three clear words: Olo, Odu, and Are. Olo means “owner” or “Lord of something”, Odu can mean of two things: either main heading or chief or principal heading.

The combination of these two words would then mean “the one who owns the principal thing” which in this case may be authority or power. Are mean “the symbol of uniqueness that is on the original crown of the king”. Olodumare, therefore, is the name that signifies that God is the Lord and Supreme owner of everything, including all power and authority (as symbolized by the sceptre). Olorun also is a combination of “Do” and “Orun”. Olo has been explained as in Olodumare above. The only word that needs to engage our attention is

“Orun”, translated in Yoruba as “heaven”. The combination of these words literally means that God is the power of heaven. This name depicts the transcendence of God and his sovereignty. The last name, which is rare in the common parlance, is used more in liturgy. It is called “Olofin-Orun”. With this name, the highest office in heaven is thus given to God. It also has a literal meaning of the one who owns the place of heaven.

Thus, God is seen as the Supreme Ruler who abides in heaven. Like to Yoruba people, the Igbo names for the God is also indicative not only of their concept for God, but also of the attributes of God. The most common of their concept for God is Chi, a prefix that can be used with various suffixes to indicate the attributes of God. Ene suggested two names for the God and these are Chineke and Chukwu. Cheneke is a combination of “Chi” and “eke” with a connecting particle “n”. It literally means the “spirit that creates”. It however, has about four variant meanings:

(a) Chi na Eke God and the creator

(b) Chi na-eke God who creates (God creates) (c) Chi ‘Eke God in (the morning of) creation

(d) Chi nne Eke God, mother of creation (God the true creator).

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Whichever applies, nothing should detract from the fact that in Igbo belief system, God is the genderless spirit that sits at the summit of the spectrum of all deities and spirits known and unknown. The other common durative of Cheneke is Chukwu. It is the combination of Chi and Ukwu. Ukwu is an Igbo word, which means “great”, hence Chukwu means the “Great source Being”. The Akan have a “high” reverence for God and He is commonly referred to as

“Nyame”. Although God is considered omnipotent and omniscient, the Akan have several names, which vary according to His numerous attributes. God is perceived as an active Being who manifests Himself through what He does. Two prominent Akan names for God are Onyame or Nyame and Odomankoma. Onyame or Nyame is a combination of two words, namely: nya amd me. Nya means, “to get” and “me” means “to be full”. Literally, Nyame would then mean, “if you get him you are satisfied”. Through this name, the Akan belief that God is the dependable one who satisfies all the needs of humanity both physical and spiritual stands out.

The second name is “Odomankoma”. This word is also a combination of Odom and Ankoma. It means, “God is the author, owner, and donor of an inexhaustible abundance of things. Africans also have many attributes that describes the nature of the God. To the Africans, God is knowledgeable. The Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania call God, Engai that can be translated “the unseen one, the unknown one”. Likewise, among the Tenda of Guinea, God is called Hounounga, which is another way of asserting that they do not know God in any physical form. Subsequently, nowhere in Africa do we find physical images or representations of God, the creator of the universe. God is also thought as self-existent. His unique nature and essence emerge in such a way as to be distinguished from all other beings.

While these other beings are created and dependent on God, God is self-existent. The Zulu of South Africa and the Tiv people of North-Central Nigeria point this out clearly, when they call God”Uzivelele” and “gba Aondo”, meaning “He who is himself, the self-existent one”.

God is both distant and near. Despite the fact that he is wholly other, yet individually and collectively, people approach God and have communion with God. They speak of God in personal terms, as father, friend, giver of children, rain and all good things, God of our ancestors, great elder, great one, healer, helper, mothers, God of universe, saviour, the judge of all, the just one and the kind one, among others. This is an affirmation, that God is personal and unique. The many personal and attributes names of God make this point clear.

Other attributives are expressed directly through prayers, invocations, and names of people and places. People also depict the God in ethical terms and express this (as well as other

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attributes) in different ways, such as proverbs and short statements. The Akan people have a saying that “God is not asleep”. This proverb affirms the belief that God sees and knows everything; and the case of wrongdoing, the justice of God is unfailing.

In another proverb, the Akan people affirm God’s providence and mercy: “if God gives you sickness, God gives you its cure”. Equipped with such a word and assurance they take courage in the face of hardships (like sickness, failure, or danger). People are convinced that God loves them and some simply point out that, if God did not love them, God would not have created them.