Harvard GENED 1071 Modernity in African Spirituality

Uhammiri/Ogbuide

Jell-Bahlsen, Sabine. “The Lake Goddess, Uhammiri/Ogbuide: The Female Side of the Universe in Igbo Cosmology.”

"Uhammiri, the Lake Goddess, is seen as a self-sufficient female divinity who represents the complementary female side of the universe and is associated with wealth, beauty, and political power."

Yoruba oral tradition and same-sex relationships

Ajibade, George Olusola. "Same-Sex Relationships in Yorùbá Culture and Orature."

The text cites Ifá literature: "If a man is having sexual intercourse with another man, It results into lumps, boils and yaws... If a woman is having sexual intercourse with another woman, It results into murk and fowl odour."

African spirituality in the Caribbean

Eastman, Rudolph and Maureen Warner-Lewis. “Forms of African Spirituality in Trinidad and Tobago.”

The enduring survival of African cosmology is evident in rituals that rely heavily on "drumming, singing, and dancing" because these ritual elements are seen as the "essential cultural and religious instruments" linking the present to the African past.

Masks

Richards, Polly. "Masques Dogons in a Changing World."

"The Dogon masquerade traditions have demonstrated adaptability... by performing out of season for tourists, allowing them to negotiate and express cultural identity" amidst economic pressures.

Goddess Oshun

Olupona, Jacob K. “Gods, Ancestors, and Spirit Beings.”

The category of Divinities (Orisha) to which Oshun belongs are active, powerful spiritual beings associated with specific natural forces (like rivers, love, and gold, in Oshun's case) who require veneration and act as intermediaries below the High God.

Triple Heritage

Olupona, Jacob K. “Christianity and Islam in Africa.”

“The success of these two major global faiths is largely due to a dynamic process of cultural negotiation and Africanization," resulting in a unique synthesis where indigenous religious concepts have been integrated into Christian and Islamic worldviews.

Ifa Divination and Computer Science

Alamu, F. O., H.O. Aworinde, W. I. Isharufe. “A Comparative Study on Ifa Divination and Computer Science.”

The Ifá system is comparable to a foundational element of computation, as the 256 fundamental figures (Odù) "are structurally and numerically analogous to the 8-bit binary code ($2^8 = 256$)."

Islam in Africa

Levtizon, Nehemia. “Islam in the Bilal al-Sudan to 1800.”

"Islam was not imposed by conquest but spread along the trans-Saharan trade routes mainly through the influence of merchants and scholars, being first adopted by the ruling elites who found that the use of Islamic law and administrative personnel enhanced their authority."

Ephemerality

Rush, Dana. "Ephemerality and the 'Unfinished' in Vodun Aesthetics."

"The ephemeral object is valued because it reflects the living, fluid, and dynamic nature of spiritual power (Ase)... The artistic value lies in the process, accumulation, and transformation of materials over time."

Christianity in Africa

Britt, Samuel I. "'Sacrifice Honors God': Ritual Struggle in a Liberian Church."

The African Initiated Church (AIC) uses animal sacrifice for sin and life to create "ritual struggle," revealing a localized Christian theology that integrates Old Testament concepts with a traditional emphasis on managing spiritual warfare.

Totems

Rusinga, Oswell and Richard Maposa. "‘Traditional Religion and Natural Resources’ A Reflection on the Significance of Indigenous Knowledge Systems on the Utilisation of Natural Resources among the Ndau People in South-eastern Zimbabwe."

The system of mitupo (totems) helps maintain a sense of ordered social life by fostering unhuism (virtue/moderation) and symbolically linking proper resource utilization to collective responsibility.

African Spirituality and Western Science

Eglash, Ron. "Bamana Sand Divination: Recursion in Ethnomathematics."

Bamana sand divination demonstrates sophisticated indigenous knowledge by utilizing the mathematical concept of "recursion" through the operation of "addition modulo 2" (mod 2).

African Spirituality and Sacred Arts

Olupona, Jacob K. “Sacred Arts and Ritual Performances.”

The arts are an "integral part of ritual and are not separate from it," serving as the "dynamic media" through which the divine is communicated and the religious experience is enacted.

Gender Power and Spirituality in African Cosmology

Jell-Bahlsen, Sabine. “The Lake Goddess, Uhammiri/Ogbuide: The Female Side of the Universe in Igbo Cosmology.”

Igbo cosmology is based on complementary duality, where the autonomous power of the female water divinity (Uhammiri/Ogbuide) demonstrates a significant source of female spiritual authority and wealth outside of patriarchal control.