{"id":1163,"date":"2022-03-18T11:03:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T09:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/causes-and-effects-of-evil-in-african-traditional-belief-2\/"},"modified":"2024-03-15T01:05:32","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T23:05:32","slug":"causes-and-effects-of-evil-in-african-traditional-belief-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/causes-and-effects-of-evil-in-african-traditional-belief-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Causes and effects of evil in African Traditional Belief"},"content":{"rendered":"

 Arising f<\/span>ro<\/span>m the corporaten<\/span>atur<\/span>e o<\/span>f Zam<\/span>bian comm<\/span>unities that wer<\/span>e he<\/span>ld toge<\/span>ther by a web of kinship relationships and other s<\/span>ocial stru<\/span>ctu<\/span>res, alm<\/span>ost every form of evil that a person suffered wa<\/span>s believed to be caused by m<\/span>e<\/span>mbers of his\/her community. <\/span>T<\/span>here is no event without a spiritual\/m<\/span>etaphysical cause; hence people looked beyond physical events to their spiritual <\/span>etiology.<\/span> T<\/span>his situation arises out of the nature of the African continent.  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Causes<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n

D<\/span>roughts and floods, sickness and health, rich harvest and poor cr<\/span>ops, high infant m<\/span>ortality, and so on, lead naturally to the extern<\/span>alisation of cause and eff<\/span>ect and to the p<\/span>ostula<\/span>tion o<\/span>f agencies more powerful than a hum<\/span>an. Against this background life was uncertain, and people looked beyond them<\/span>selves to solve its r<\/span>i<\/span>d<\/span>dles and to b<\/span>e ensured <\/span>of <\/span>st<\/span>ability.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every form of pain, m<\/span>is<\/span>f<\/span>ortune, sorrow or suffering;every illness and sickness; every death, whether of an old person or the infa<\/span>nt child<\/span>; eve<\/span>ry f<\/span>ailur<\/span>e of the crop in the fields, of huntingin the wilderness or of fishingin the w<\/span>aters; every bad om<\/span>en or dream<\/span>: thes<\/span>e are all the m<\/span>anifestations of evil that hum<\/span>an experien<\/span>ces are blam<\/span>ed on som<\/span>ebody i<\/span>n the corporate society.<\/span> As a result, young people in Zam<\/span>bia were taught st<\/span>rictly how to observe the religious rituals<\/a>, cerem<\/span>onies, laws, and avoidance of taboos, for the sake <\/span>of their own survival<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sin and Salvation<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The conceptof salvation am<\/span>ong <\/span>African traditionalists was<\/span> determ<\/span>ined by what one was saved from. Africans concep<\/span>tualize sin in term<\/span>s of \u201cbig sins\u201d and \u201cm<\/span>inor sins\u201d.  Big sins are listed as violations of tribal taboos or revealingto wom<\/span>en and the uninitiated the secrets o<\/span>f what takes place at in<\/span>itiation. Small sin<\/span>s includetrespassing on a neighbour\u2019s property, failing to care for a neighbou<\/span>r\u2019s stock when the need arises, child abuse, and bitterness. Punishm<\/span>ent for big sins varied from drinking hum<\/span>an waste m<\/span>atter to capital punishm<\/span>ent.  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sin from an African viewpoint appears to be an anti-social act, and salvation can only be obtained by satisfying social dem<\/span>ands.  <\/span>For exam<\/span>ple, when a person was caught with som<\/span>eone else\u2019s wife that person was required to pay dam<\/span>ages or a fee and in addition, a white chicken had to be slaughtered in order to reconcile the two people through the shedding of blood. A whit<\/span>e colour signified the purifyi<\/span>ng of the consciences of the offender and the offended. Young people were religio<\/span>usly instructedthat to be saved, therefore, was to be accepted first in the community of the living, then in the place of the dead.  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Death and the Afterlife<\/a><\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most Zam<\/span>bian tribes possessed m<\/span>yths explaining how death f<\/span>i<\/span>rst cam<\/span>e into the world and one of the m<\/span>ost fundam<\/span>ental featuresof traditional life was the re<\/span>lationship between the living and the living-dead. People accepteddeath, but every hum<\/span>an de<\/span>ath was believed to have external causes. People had to discoverand state the ca<\/span>uses of death.  <\/span>These<\/span> causes were said to be the results of m<\/span>agic a<\/span>nd witchcraft or spirits who were offe<\/span>nded and bore a grudge, or from a powerful curse.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One or m<\/span>ore causesof death were to be given. Though death was accepted, it could be prevented because it was always caused by another agent.  <\/span>At de<\/span>ath a person went to join the \u201cshades\u201d or \u201cliving-dead\u201d, for as long as he<\/span>\/she<\/span> was rem<\/span>embered by those who rem<\/span>a<\/span>in. During this tim<\/span>e, usually three or four generations, the person m<\/span>i<\/span>ght visit his\/her fo<\/span>rm<\/span>er hom<\/span>e a<\/span>nd see his\/her relatives and was thought to have a real interest in the welfareof the fa<\/span>m<\/span>ily and clan, and to hover around the community. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,<\/span> there is a sense of separation<\/span>. P<\/span>eople canno<\/span>t say to him<\/span>\/<\/span>her, \u201cHere is a seat,sit down and let us prepare a m<\/span>eal for you.\u201d S<\/span>he<\/span>\/he appearsonly to one or tw<\/span>o m<\/span>e<\/span>m<\/span>bers of the fam<\/span>ily, particularly the older ones and enquires about the welfare of the others. S<\/span>he<\/span>\/he cannot participate fully\u2026but his\/her appearance strengthens fam<\/span>ily links between rela<\/span>tive<\/span>s in this lif<\/span>e and those in th<\/span>e s<\/span>pirit world.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Am<\/span>ong the Lam<\/span>ba people in Zam<\/span>bia, an individual is understood to be made up of three parts: body, person and spirit.  <\/span>\u201c<\/span>W<\/span>hen a pe<\/span>rson dies his\/<\/span><\/span>her body is buried; <\/span>him<\/span><\/span>self<\/span>\/<\/span>herself goes to ichiyabafu<\/i>(the abode of the dead), and his\/her umupashi <\/i>(sp<\/span>i<\/span>rit) r<\/span>etu<\/span>rns to the village to await reincarnation\u201d. Traditionall<\/span>y, when a good person dies his\/her spirit is thought to com<\/span>e back in one of his\/her sisters\u2019 children. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a re<\/span>sult, his\/her sister\u2019s children are in som<\/span>e respec<\/span>ts m<\/span>o<\/span>re im<\/span>portant than their ow<\/span>n. \u201cIf the birth is nor<\/span>m<\/span>al it is the m<\/span>aternal grandm<\/span>other who decidesupon the nam<\/span>e of the child<\/span>. S<\/span>hould the child fall sick after a day or two, or even a week, the people say, s<\/span>he<\/span>\/he has refused the nam<\/span>e\u201d and another<\/span> name<\/span> is c<\/span>hosen. He<\/span>nce the pra<\/span>ctic<\/span>e of waitinga f<\/span>ew days bef<\/span>or<\/span>e nam<\/span>i<\/span>ng a child is practiced so that on<\/span>e can see who she\/he is like in te<\/span>rm<\/span>s of dispositio<\/span>n. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I<\/span>n Zam<\/span>bi<\/span>an culture the issue is not the afterlife but the way in which the living dead continue to be involvedin life am<\/span>ong the living.<\/span> Interestingly,the Lam<\/span>ba people in Zam<\/span>bia us<\/span>ed to burn witches and wizards because they believ<\/span>ed tha<\/span>t f<\/span>i<\/span>re<\/span> was one thing that could destroy the spirit. As far as death was concerned, young people were taught to religiously m<\/span>aintain offerings of food, ani<\/span>m<\/span>al blood an<\/span>d any other accepted sacrifices as well as to engage in consistent prayers and observance of proper religious rites to avoid unnecessary death.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 Arising from the corporatenature of Zambian communities that were held together by a web of kinship relationships and other social […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":149,"footnotes":""},"categories":[149],"tags":[309,84],"class_list":["post-1163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-african-religions","tag-ancient-religions","tag-world-religions"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":671,"url":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/african-traditional-religion-5-facts\/","url_meta":{"origin":1163,"position":0},"title":"African Traditional Religion – 5 Facts","author":"centreforelites","date":"16 \u0430\u043f\u0440\u0435\u043b\u044f, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This article introduces you to what African Traditional Religion is all about, its beliefs, rituals and practices. Religion is found in every human society. It is a sacred institution that educates persons on his\/her beliefs and practices in relation to the divine being. The Traditional Religion in Africa is regarded\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/support.centreforelites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AFRICAN-TRADITIONAL-RELIGION-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/support.centreforelites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AFRICAN-TRADITIONAL-RELIGION-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/support.centreforelites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AFRICAN-TRADITIONAL-RELIGION-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/support.centreforelites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AFRICAN-TRADITIONAL-RELIGION-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1165,"url":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/african-traditional-religion\/","url_meta":{"origin":1163,"position":1},"title":"AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION","author":"centreforelites","date":"18 \u043c\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0430, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0This article introduces you to what African Traditional Religion is all about, its beliefs, rituals and practices. Religion is found in every human society. It is a sacred institution which educates persons on his\/her beliefs and practices in relation to the divine being.\u00a0The Traditional Religion in Africa is regarded as\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "African Religions"","block_context":{"text":"African Religions","link":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/category\/african-religions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"African Traditional Religions","src":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/7\/7e\/D%C3%A9but_de_pas_de_danse_du_Zangb%C3%A9to_-_B%C3%A9nin.jpg\/800px-D%C3%A9but_de_pas_de_danse_du_Zangb%C3%A9to_-_B%C3%A9nin.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/7\/7e\/D%C3%A9but_de_pas_de_danse_du_Zangb%C3%A9to_-_B%C3%A9nin.jpg\/800px-D%C3%A9but_de_pas_de_danse_du_Zangb%C3%A9to_-_B%C3%A9nin.jpg 1x, https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/7\/7e\/D%C3%A9but_de_pas_de_danse_du_Zangb%C3%A9to_-_B%C3%A9nin.jpg\/800px-D%C3%A9but_de_pas_de_danse_du_Zangb%C3%A9to_-_B%C3%A9nin.jpg 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1159,"url":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/witchcraft-and-sorcery-in-african-tradition-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1163,"position":2},"title":"Witchcraft and Sorcery in African Tradition","author":"centreforelites","date":"18 \u043c\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0430, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0Witchcraft To most Africans, witchcraft is an ugly reality. Witches are believed to be people with inherent power. Although some witches acquired these powers to protect their areas, it is mostly believed that the powers are evil, anti-social are not primarily used to harm people. A witch is called Umuloshi,\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "African Religions"","block_context":{"text":"African Religions","link":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/category\/african-religions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Witchcraft and Sorcery in African Tradition","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dandc.eu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/article_stage\/public\/article_stage\/sw-danner_3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dandc.eu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/article_stage\/public\/article_stage\/sw-danner_3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dandc.eu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/article_stage\/public\/article_stage\/sw-danner_3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1164,"url":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/categories-of-sacrifices-in-african-traditional-religions-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1163,"position":3},"title":"Categories of Sacrifices in African Traditional Religions","author":"centreforelites","date":"18 \u043c\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0430, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0Join us as we look at the different Categories of Sacrifices in African Traditional Religions. As far as worship was concerned, God was worshipped in a number of ways among African peoples. \u00a0The first form of worship was the use of sacrifices (when animals were killed) and offerings (the presentation\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "African Religions"","block_context":{"text":"African Religions","link":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/category\/african-religions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/HrlEtTIUoHQ\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":672,"url":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/categories-of-sacrifices-in-african-traditional-religions\/","url_meta":{"origin":1163,"position":4},"title":"Categories of Sacrifices in African Traditional Religions","author":"centreforelites","date":"16 \u0430\u043f\u0440\u0435\u043b\u044f, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HrlEtTIUoHQ&t=178s As far as worship was concerned, God was worshipped in a number of ways among African peoples.\u00a0\u00a0The first form of worship was the use of sacrifices (when animals were killed) and offerings (the presentation of food, animal blood or other items).\u00a0\u00a0These were given to God, the spirits, and the\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Categories of Sacrifices in African Traditional Religions","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/support.centreforelites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Categories-of-Sacrifices-in-African-Traditional-Religions.webp?fit=700%2C420&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/support.centreforelites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Categories-of-Sacrifices-in-African-Traditional-Religions.webp?fit=700%2C420&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/support.centreforelites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Categories-of-Sacrifices-in-African-Traditional-Religions.webp?fit=700%2C420&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/support.centreforelites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Categories-of-Sacrifices-in-African-Traditional-Religions.webp?fit=700%2C420&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":683,"url":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/witchcraft-and-sorcery-in-african-tradition\/","url_meta":{"origin":1163,"position":5},"title":"Witchcraft and Sorcery in African Tradition","author":"centreforelites","date":"16 \u0430\u043f\u0440\u0435\u043b\u044f, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Witchcraft To most Africans, witchcraft is an ugly reality. Witches are believed to be people with inherent power. Although some witches acquired these powers to protect their areas, it is mostly believed that the powers are evil, anti-social are not primarily used to harm people. A witch is called Umuloshi,\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Witchcraft and Sorcery in African Tradition","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/support.centreforelites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Witchcraft-and-Sorcery-in-African-Tradition.jpg?fit=620%2C415&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/support.centreforelites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Witchcraft-and-Sorcery-in-African-Tradition.jpg?fit=620%2C415&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/support.centreforelites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Witchcraft-and-Sorcery-in-African-Tradition.jpg?fit=620%2C415&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1163"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2573,"href":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163\/revisions\/2573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/support.centreforelites.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}