African religions
The African people are very religious. There are different religions in Africa. In addition to Christianity, Judaism and Islam, which were widely spread by the missionaries, there are also the old African religions, which were pushed back by the new religions, but never died out.
In addition to Christianity and Islam, the African religions represent the third largest religious power in Africa. They consist of many faiths.
Many Africans are still engaged in the cult of ancestors today. The deceased ancestors of the tribes are in the foreground. They are omnipresent and mostly appear as good and benevolent spirits. However, in some situations they are also irascible and even vicious. For this reason, exorcism still exists in Africa and is used there.
Another religion of the Africans is the Bwiti religion. It finds its distribution in Gabon and in the neighboring states and especially in Cameroon. This religion is a mixture of several religions into one. The Africans of this denomination combined natural religions such as the ancestor cult with the Christianity brought into the country by the missionaries in order not to give up the ancestor cult completely and thus to protect it to a certain extent. The main component when joining a group of this religion is a plant that is sometimes even supposed to be consumed by the applicants in dangerous amounts that are harmful to health. The iboga root is a dog poison plant and tastes extremely bitter. When chewed in small doses, it has a stimulating and aphrodisiac effect, but too high a dose can trigger visions, i.e. waking dreams. In addition, you will vomit again and again when you eat this plant. This admission ritual is very exhausting, but those who survive this are also strong enough for the Bwiti religion.
Some Africans also believe in wizards and witches. These are people who have a special knowledge of natural medicinal herbs and their associated healing powers, or who know how to communicate with the spirits and how to use their help skillfully. Witches and wizards are feared everywhere, as their gifts cannot be assessed by the general believers. That is why there is still the witch hunt in Africa to this day. However, it is unclear whether this is really just a purely religious benefit. South Africa, Tanzania, the DRC and Nigeria are badly affected by the witch hunt. For more information about the continent of Africa, please check pharmacylib.com.
