By Ndirangu Owen
Climate change is one of the most widely debated topics globally, as it presents a significant crisis. Issues such as floods, famine, displacement, and the melting of glaciers are among the challenges the world faces today due to climate change.[1]
The majority of the world's population is affiliated to a form of religious belief. I believe that faith can be one of the solutions to the climate change crisis. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, 'faith is a high degree of trust or confidence in something, often related to religion'. This article explores African Traditional religious practices from various communities, their philosophies on the environment, and how those have influenced environmental practices.
Religion in Africa plays a crucial role in shaping cultural, social, political, and economic aspects of life. It is deeply intertwined with ethical considerations and worldviews.[2] African Traditional Religion recognise the sacred quality of the ecological system, viewing it as a dwelling place for divinities and spirits. African religions also emphasise the need for harmony with the environment to sustain a balance with the Supreme Being.[3] Further, African conceptions of ecology in African religious thought and Philosophy integrate individuals, man-made objects and the environment as interconnected elements, emphasising the holistic relationship between human beings and nature.[4]
Like other cultures in other parts of the world, Africans believed in Supreme Beings. In Kenya, for instance, the Agikuyu believe and worship Ngai, the Maasai believe in Enkai, the Kamba revere Mulungu and the Kalenjin believe in Asis[5].
African Traditional religious practices included worshipping divinities, spirits and ancestral figures.[6] These religious practices contribute positively to the environment by promoting the conservation of natural resources like forests, fish and animals.[7] For instance in Botswana, the Tsodilo Hills are revered and referred to as the 'Mountain of the Gods'. They have been conserved for centuries through ancestor worship rituals and have today become a UNESCO World Heritage status.[8] Similarly, the Vhutanda sacred natural sites in South Africa are protected through the belief of ancestral spirits (Vhadzimu) who are believed to punish those who harm these ecosystems.[9] Sacred groves in Nigeria's Kolo Creek Clan forbid deforestation and unsustainable fishing, this is enforced through the fear of ancestral retribution.[10]
In the Shona traditional religion, Shona taboos (Zviera) encouraged sustainable environmental management.[11] For instance, Mountains like Mount Muozi are protected as ancestral burial sites, this protection prevents mining and deforestation.[12]
The Agikuyu community worship Ngai under the Mugumo tree, which they consider as sacred and as a conduit between them and Ngai. The Mugumo tree is their shrine and they believe that their prayers would be heard by Ngai if they prayed, offered sacrifices and worshipped under the Mugumo tree. The Agikuyu also pray facing Mount Kirinyaga (Mount Kenya) since they believe it is Ngai's dwelling place. As such the Agikuyu community regard the environment as an integral part of their lives, fostering a sense of interdependence. This highlights a profound connection between spirituality and environmental conservation. The belief that the Mugumo tree and Mount Kirinyaga are sacred, as well as the practice of praying and making offerings under the Mugumo tree, suggests that nature was not only revered but also seen as essential to their spiritual well-being.
The Oromo on the other hand have a system referred to as Gadda which is a general assembly that makes political, social, and environmental laws.[13] This system provides a set of guidelines that are instrumental in protecting the natural environment.[14]Saffu, the ethical code of the Oromo governs the relationship between different entities and use of natural resources and insists that one ought not to unnecessarily harm and over exploit fellow human beings and the natural environment since different entities have their own place and role in the cosmic and social order and it would be wrong to upset the balance.[15] Oromo philosophy also emphasises that human beings are part and parcel of the natural environment and should not undermine the existence of other creatures such as animals who equally have a right to exist and flourish on the Earth regardless of whether they are considered useful or not.[16] According to traditional Oromo environmental philosophy, the indiscriminate destruction of species and individual animals and plants threatens the survival and well-being of earth and all its inhabitants.[17]
In Conclusion, through the viewpoint of African religion and philosophy, it is clear that African religion had its own environmental philosophy and creedal understanding of nature, ecology, conservation, and sustainable management which influenced man's relationship with the environment. Thus, rather than relying solely on policies drafted and adapted from Western perspectives to combat climate change, we should also Africanise these policies by incorporating perspectives from African religion and philosophy.
[1]United Nations, Causes and effects of climate change. United Nations < https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/causes-effects-climate-change> On 28 February 2024
[2] Azibalua Onyagholo, 'Religion, environment and climate change in Kolo Creek Clan', 11(1) Journal of Philosophy and Culture (2023) 16-25.
[3] Aniekan Etim Nana, 'The impact of ecology in African Traditional Religion', 8, International Journal of Theology and Reformed Tradition' (2016) 1.
[4] Ekpenyong Obo, 'African traditional religion and global ecological crisis: An eco-theological review', in Ikechukwu Anthony Kanu (ed) African Eco-Theology: Meaning, Forms And Expressions, AuthorHouse, 2022.
[5] Shadows of Africa, 'Kenyan tribes and religions' <https://www.shadowsofafrica.com/blog/kenyan-tribes-religions/ > 1 June 2016.
[6] Onyagholo, 'Religion, environment and climate change in Kolo Creek Clan', 16-25.
[7]Onyagholo, 'Religion, environment and climate change in Kolo Creek Clan', 16-25.
[8] Sharon Tshipa, 'God, ancestors, and nature,' Africa is a Country <https://africasacountry.com/2023/11/god-ancestors-and-nature > 15 November 2023.
[9] Sinthumule, Ndidzulafhi Innocent, 'Conservation effects of governance and management of sacred natural sites: Lessons from Vhutanda in the Vhembe Region, Limpopo Province of South Africa'. 19 (3) International journal of environmental research and public health, (2022) 1067.
[10] Onyagholo, 'Religion, environment, and climate change in Kolo Creek Clan.
[11] Vincent Mabvurira, George Alex Muchinako, Elizabeth Ivy Smit, 'Shona traditional religion and sustainable environmental management: An Afro-Centric perspective', 11(3) African Journal of Social Work (2021).
[12] Makamure Clemence, Vengesai Chimininge, 'Totem, taboos and sacred places: An analysis of Karanga People's environmental conservation and management practices', 4(11) International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (2015): 7–12.
[13] Workineh Kelbessa, 'African environmental philosophy, injustice and policy', Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (2022).
[14] Kelbessa, 'African environmental philosophy, injustice and policy'.
[15] Kelbessa, 'African environmental philosophy, injustice and policy'.
[16] Kelbessa, 'African environmental philosophy, injustice and policy'.
[17] Kelbessa, 'African environmental philosophy, injustice and policy'.
