Theme statement and background:

The historical encounter of the African continent with the Arab and transatlantic slave trade, colonial/imperial histories and influences, was mostly characterized by exploitation and expropriation, dehumanization and human rights violations, but also the destruction of their indigenous religions, cultural patterns, sacred sites and objects. European and Arab cultural imprints are also seen in the growth and spread of Christianity and Islam. This encounter of other religio-cultural forms led, on the one hand, to the denigration of indigenous religions, resulting in the banning and rejection of worldviews and abandonment of aspects of their cosmologies, ritual symbolism and practices. On the other hand, indigenous religions responded to social change leading to mutual influence, and revitalization of aspects of the indigenous religious cultures. The encounter transformed indigenous religious thought and practice but did not supplant it; indigenous religions preserved some of their beliefs and ritual practices but also adjusted to the new socio-cultural milieu. Christianity and Islam were also transformed in that they became domesticated. This interaction demonstrates one framework of understanding indigenous religions as an integral part of, and within processes of globalization.

The historical and cultural significance of indigenous African religious traditions and spirituality is partly demonstrated in their plurality both in Africa and the African diaspora. Indigenous African religions both influence globalization processes and respond to the challenges and opportunities which it presents. The global dimension of indigenous religions in Africa transcends the continent into the African diaspora. Migration, tourism and the appropriation of new media technologies has facilitated the introduction of indigenous religions into new contexts. The African Diaspora resulting from the trans-Atlantic slave trade profoundly influenced cultures of Brazil, Cuba, Haiti and the rest of the New World, partly leading to the development of African-derived religions such as the Candomble Nago and Umbanda in Brazil, the Santeria (Lukumi, Macumba) in Cuba, Vodun, Yoruba-Orisha traditions and other West and Central African rooted traditions across the Americas. These religious forms are proliferating in the diasporic context, with the scope of practitioners and clientele widened multi-ethnically and multi-racially. In Brazil, which has the largest black population outside the continent, and other African diaspora contexts, African-derived religions have survived several decades of criminalization of religious beliefs and practices. Generally, African-derived religions, such as Candomble and Umbanda in Brazil, have continued to face institutional racism and public demonization, just as majority of Afro-Brazilians suffer racial injustice and socio-political marginalization.  

Despite such threats of survival and extinction, Africans are striving to preserve their cultural heritage and religious identity. African and African-derived religions have continued to impact other world religions, just as they have been influenced by them. For instance, Brazilian Portuguese was richly influenced by people of African descent and their languages, even as a new Afro-Brazilian vocabulary emerged. Candomblé rituals have been incorporated into the fabric of Brazilian national identity from New Year's Eve offerings to the ocean (during Revellion), Capoeira dance, Samba circles (rodas) and culinary preferences such as Acarajé fritters. In Umbanda, there is a loose affinity of Roman Catholic saints with African and indigenous deities. Indigenous religions and African-derived religions have also shaped world art, sculpture, painting and other cultural artifacts, which populate the world’s famous museums, galleries, libraries, and art exhibitions. The commodification of indigenous art and religious objects is on the increase. Although usually dislocated from its ‘religious’ context, horticultural, culinary and medical knowledge has significant input from the indigenous African peoples and their epistemology. The character of indigenous religions and African-derived religions in conditions of globality will continue to be determined and shaped by how and to what extent they negotiate continuity, identity, and change.

The resilience of indigenous religious traditions in Africa and African-derived religions in the diaspora needs scholarly attention in exploring how and to what extent they are central to everyday lives of Africans and its descendants. Religion is crucial to understanding African peoples as well as their diasporic communities within a global context. Indigenous religions encompass phenomena that are primarily defined in terms of their orality, cosmological and ritual orientation towards specific geo-cultural landscapes. A proper grasp of their complex religious cosmologies, traditions and cultures improves our grasp of African peoples and its descendants in conditions of globality. Religion is a motor for diaspora formation, and for the construction and maintenance of cultural identity and value systems.

To what extent does indigenous worldviews and religions remain relevant for both Africans on the continent and their descendants in diaspora especially in a globalizing era? How can we synthesize the belief systems, cosmologies, rituals, practices of indigenous religious traditions into a coherent reference and sacred source book for adherents and non-adherents alike? What makes African religions tick against the backdrop of xenophobia, socioeconomic deprivation in fast secularizing contexts? What explains the resilience of African religious traditions in the face of negative public perception? How and to what extent has African religions and African-derived religions shaped the local contexts, cultures and societies within which they are practiced? How far has the indigenous religions and African-derived religions being influenced by other religious traditions globally? How and to what extent does indigenous religions and African-derived religions respond to global issues of poverty, corruption, conflict, peace, religious freedom and climate change? These pertinent questions and issues motivated the organization of the maiden Global African Indigenous Religions Colloquium at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria in August 2016, a historic event attended by about 100 participants (scholars, researchers, practitioners, policy makers) drawn from three continents of Africa, Europe and the Americas. 

The 2nd Global African Indigenous and Derived Religions Conference comes on the heels of the successful maiden event, scheduled to take place at Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Brazil in October 2018. The choice of Brazil as the next host is strategic. First, the African diaspora is pivotal to understanding the globalization of African religions. Second, The African Diaspora has been declared by the African Union (AU) as Africa’s 6th region. Third, Brazil is home to the largest Black population (African diaspora) in the world, besides Nigeria. Brazil’s recent demographics show African-Brazilians in the majority for the first time, with 2010 census results showing over 50.7% of the population, now define themselves as black or mixed race, compared to 47.7% who label themselves white (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística-IBGE). Lastly, Brazil is home to Candomble, one of the largest African-derived religions in the world. The 2nd Global African Indigenous and Derived Religions Conference will provide another significant platform for scholars, practitioners of African Indigenous Religions and African-derived religions, policy makers, diaspora community groups, NGOs and FBOs and interested publics to critically appraise the status, nature and role of global African Indigenous and Derived Religions within local-global religious landscapes. Like themes and subthemes of the inaugural meeting, the Conference will explore varied approaches to the study of Africa’s Indigenous Religions with emphasis on regional and diasporic focus.  It will discuss the inherent challenges faced by students and scholars in studying indigenous and African-derived religions globally. The conference also seeks to encourage scholarly research and explore avenues for the documentation and preservation of African indigenous and derived religions.