Who would deny
the fact that we Africans have invested so much faith in western religions to the extent of disowning our own!
Well, perhaps
it is as a result of the way it has been passed on to us. Most of us generally perceive African Traditional
Religion (ATR) from a negative perspective only, so we tend to associate it
with superstition and harmful practices such as witchcraft. This shallow perception has indeed led us to misunderstand the
real meaning and significance of ATR, generation after generation.
However, from
the workshop we had in July with Br. Amandi Mboya, from the East Africa
District, I realised that ATR is more of good than ‘evil’. The workshop helped us first-year novices to
understand some of the challenging areas and issues within African Tradition
Spirituality.
During the discussions,
we discovered that there are some similarities between ATR and the western religions,
such as Christianity. The similarity came out quite vividly especially in
relation to the belief in one
transcendent creator/supreme being; the use of rituals and sacrifices during important occasions; the belief in a spiritual world; and the interconnectedness of humankind and the
rest of creation. Because of this, there has been some adoption of customs and
practices from ATR in Christian life.
We finally reflected
on the possibilities of incorporating some of the helpful traditional practices
during our community prayer and liturgies (e.g. Eucharistic celebrations). This
was clearly taken as a challenge.
It was indeed
a fruitful workshop which, I believe, brought a more holistic growth and
vision.
We sincerely
express our gratitude to ‘professor’ Amandi for this fabulous contribution to
our ongoing formation programme.
Amandi’s visit
coincided with short visits from two other “distinguished” guests – Br. Richard
Walsh from Lusaka, our Africa Province Leader, and Br. Pious Conteh, the West
Africa District Mission Development Officer.
As the photos show, their visit was not all work, and they enjoyed the
hospitality of our Brothers in the Choggu community here in Tamale.
Lawrence Agalo
Br. Amandi and the nine novices,
looking smart in their “CB Novices”
shirts.
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