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4.0 out of 5 stars
An early sympathetic treatment of African religiosities, March 1, 2002
This review is from: African Religions & Philosophy (African Writers) (Paperback)
John Mbiti's volume, African Religions and Philosophy, is a classic in the study of African religiosity, as well as the field of religious studies. Published originally in 1969, the work is an attempt to discuss the theology and religious practices of sub-Saharan Africans. At the start, it must be noted that Mbiti himself is not only a scholar of religion, but is also himself a parish minister, thus he not only a scholar but also a practitioner as well.
This book is often cited for its scathing deconstruction and refutation of racist anthropological work that had up to that point been the main systematic effort to `understand' African religiosity. No less than Molefi Asante, in his significant anthology of African Intellectual and Cultural History, excerpted most of Mbiti's first chapter, which contains his well-known critique.
The goals of Mbiti's book are threefold: to refute previous racist scholarship, to highlight the continuity of African forms of religion with other forms of human religiosity, and to establish the diversity of African religion from other forms of religiosity.
To accomplish these goals, Mbiti establishes two fundamental concepts in African religiosity: "God," and Time. The term God is not significantly explored at the outset, except as a stand-in for a "supreme Being" in terms largely familiar to Europeans and Americans. Time, on the other hand, is discussed as a facet of African linguistics. By analyzing verb tenses from different language groups, Mbiti claims that African forms of time are different than other human concepts of time, such as linear ones. Ultimately, Mbiti establishes two kinds of Time- Sasa, and Zamani (Swahili). Sasa is understood as "small time," or time that is centrally located close to the present moment. Zamani, in contrast, is "Macro-Time," or time that takes place distantly from the present moment.
This all stands in contrast to notions of time familiar to Europeans and Americans, such as past, present and future. By marking out two distinct areas, God and Time, Mbiti sets the stage for an analysis of religion in terms of ontology (or metaphysics) and human experience. Along with Mbiti's assertion of Africans as totally culturally enveloped in religion, this also sets the stage for extensive cultural analysis.
In the next few chapters, Mbiti then presents a theological discussion in terms that would be familiar to any Western scholar of religion. He analyses categories such as the "Nature" of God, the "Works" of God, God's relationship to the natural world, God's manifestations in ritual, and the existence of "Spirits" or lesser divinities. In each case, Mbiti's goal is primarily to illustrate that the "God" of the Africans is the same as elsewhere, although the African's experience of "God" is unique, and to some degree conditioned by different tribal influences.
After this discussion, Mbiti then discusses the African view of "man." This is because a theological anthropology (or a 'cosmic' view of humanity) becomes necessary to fully understand African religion. Thus, Mbiti proceeds to analyses African life in terms familiar to any Western anthropologist: "Ethnicity", "Kinship," "Birth," "Puberty", "Death," and "Afterlife." In each case, Mbiti begins be describing the African human experience. Then he illustrates the mythologizing aspects of African cultural life that make experiences religious as well as anthropological.
Mbiti's method is clearly a reaction to the racism of earlier anthropology, and constitutes a theological apologetics for African religions. In unpacking the relationship between ontology and human experience, his method is also closely related to the school of Religionswissenschaft (History or Phenomenology of Religion) on the rise at this time in the field of Religious Studies.
His work clearly has value and represents an important aspect of Africana religiosity. Nevertheless, his work suffers from difficulties. His use of European categories and assumptions causes problems in his analysis. For example, he assumes that the African practice of assigning names for "God" is a form of simple predication the same way such names are employed in Christianity and Islam. Names for `God' simply signify different names for the same being---Mbiti acts as if names predicate one ultimate subject, rather than possibly positing multiple subjects.
Even more problematic is his effort to take concepts, such as creation ex nihilo, and fit Nuer descriptions of Creation to this model. His emphasis on being and supremacy makes notions of mystical power and process, common to many African forms of religiosity, difficult to address. Often his terms and categories are so loaded with Christian assumptions that it takes a great deal of effort to read them out of the accounts that he gives.
Another issue that should be raised with regard to Mbiti `s text is his synchronic treatment of African religiosity and philosophy. Although Mbiti does acknowledge that African religions have undergone change over time, his treatment of these religions is largely based on his own research, and the tone of the book suggests that change is not much of an issue for Mbiti.
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