6 Myths About Indigenous African Spirituality Debunked

The truth about exchanging angels for ancestors

Whatever we attribute it to, there has been a noticeable migration from religion to spirituality in the Western World. More recent we’ve witnessed significant numbers of people, particularly within the African American community, abandoning dominant religions to explore various spiritual practices, more specifically Indigenous African Spirituality (IAS), native beliefs existing on the continent of Africa prior to Christian and Islamic colonization.

My personal journey began in 2006 and I found myself struggling to navigate the convoluted information I was finding despite my Nigerian heritage. The frustration of hitting dead ends at every turn coupled with the confusion of having my father vehemently refuse to support my intended journey was almost too much to make sense of. It wasn’t until much later that he would reveal the root of his hesitation. He had witnessed his father’s torment, ridicule, and later banishment because of his refusal to convert to Christianity, and didn’t want to see me endure the same social execution. As much as I understood my father’s hesitation, I understood my grandfather’s opposition even more. It became quite apparent to me that it wasn’t just the knowledge of IAS that I was after, it was the freedom.

Although I’ve never regretted my decision to exchange my angels for ancestors, I struggle daily with the ignorance and fear that surround my beliefs, finding it easier to avoid talks about religion altogether just to dodge the conversation that begins after the gasps and awkwardness end. With all the misinformation that’s been propagated about IAS, it should come as no surprise that very little is known about its actual practices. So today, to spark much needed conversation, I’ll be tackling 6 common myths about IAS.

Myth #1:

Indigenous African Spirituality is Polytheistic (many gods) & Rooted in Devil Worship

Whether consciously or subconsciously, many still think of Africa as “The Dark Continent.” A term coined during the “Scramble of Africa,” an orchestrated division, occupation and pillage of Africa which began in 1884 at the Berlin Conference. While the West seemed to have a great fixation with the complexions of indigenous…