Diversity of Religions in Africa

Islam spread to North Africa during the period of the Islamic Empire that spread during the two centuries following Mohammed’s lifetime. The vast majority of North African Arabs are Muslims, but there are pockets of Coptic Christians in Egypt. The Coptic Christians are a very early branch of Christianity.

The terms Bantu and Swahili refer to both languages and ethnic groups. Bantu is the language and ethnic group from which the Swahili language and ethnic group developed. While the Swahili language is spoken by over 90 million people, the Swahili ethnic group numbers about 1.3 million. They primarily live in East African countries like Kenya and Tanzania. The primary religion practiced by the Swahili ethnic group is Islam.

Because of the long history of trade with the Middle East, most East Africans of the Swahili culture are Islamic, but many Ethiopians are Christians. Ethiopian Christians are also a very early branch of Christianity, as in Egypt.

The Ashanti people of today live primarily in Ghana. While the majority of Ashanti are Christian, traditional religious beliefs are the second largest religious group. The smallest percentage of Ashanti are Islamic. For the Ashanti their traditional beliefs are a mixture of spiritual and supernatural powers. The traditional religion, based on belief in a distant supreme being, in a mix of gods and lesser spirits, and inthe ever-present spirits of ancestors, remains the basis of the Ashanti conception of the universe.

Special people, sometimes known as shamans, can contact the spirit world and try to influence gods, spirits, ancestors. Traditional belief systems in Africa, also known as indigenous religions, may include worship of ancestors, spirits, gods, animals, land, inanimate objects, and/or natural phenomena. In some cases these traditional beliefs are combined with Christianity or Islam. Such blended religions are known as syncretic religions.

The Bantu migration, which spanned many centuries, influenced the development of many ethnic groups and languages in sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that as many as two-thirds of the people living in Africa today have roots in the Bantu language and ethnic group. Traditional beliefs, Islam, and Christianity are found among Bantu peoples.

Christian missionaries brought Christianity to these regions of Africa, so there are many Christians, but many people here also practice traditional indigenous or animist religions. Quite a few Central and Southern Africans combine Christianity with their traditional religious beliefs, which makes sense to them, because both believe in a supreme being.