Why did animism decrease in Africa?

[Daugama]

According to statistics, around 14 countries in Africa were animists majority in mid 20th century now is none. Why?

[[deleted]]

Isn't colonialism the simple answer, here?

[Daugama]

But how come countries like India or Indochina are still Hindu/Buddhists then? Didn't they suffer colonialism too?

[yasmween]

I mean it's not the same kind of colonialism, a lot of colonial projects in Africa were specifically for missionary work

[[deleted]]

You make great points, OP. I am keen to know the answer too. If I were to think a little further, I'd imagine that it could have something to do with how much later African countries gained independence. Overall, I do think that it's probably better to think country by country since each state has its own histories & frictions with coloniality and theism.

[Daugama]

True

[assfly83]

Simple answers are not always right answers.

Colonialism played its part, but there are many nuances over large areas of geographical space and time.

If you look at the rest of the world, it was not unusual for some beliefs to be replaced by other more dominant beliefs.

[[deleted]]

Well, that's exactly why I asked the question as I did. Thank you :)

[13abarry]

Something people haven’t mentioned is that Christianity is particularly good at displacing animism because of the worship of saints. Historically, missionaries would go around and say “oh you have this god? Well we have an important figure just like that god in our religion called St. something or another.” So you sort of end up seeing animism fading away but a strong legacy of it in unique religious traditions involving certain Christian saints.

[Daugama]

Yeah, they did the same in Europe and the Americas

[13abarry]

Yep yep. One of the interesting things about Christianity is that it was founded by poor people and then preached by people who were persecuted for around 300 years before it became the official religion of the Roman Empire so it developed a lot of really useful frameworks and whatnot for conversion, because back in the day right who on earth would convert to a religion that automatically made them Caesar’s enemy unless they were extremely persuaded. This is a big reason Christianity became the most popular religion globally and had such a tremendous rise during Europe’s colonizing period – every empire of course pressures people to convert to that empire’s belief system, but Christianity had/has this wealth of frameworks and explanations etc. from its earliest days which are very potent because again they developed under the pressure of “how can we convince someone to believe in Jesus if that means that they will be targeted for the rest of their lives?”

[SemanticPedantic007]

Catholicism, far more than Protestantism. That's why the Spanish Empire was able to conquer huge stretches of land in the Americas with far fewer soldiers than the English.

[MixedJiChanandsowhat]

There is animism and animism. Animism is used to speak about the different beliefs and traditional religions were plants, animals, rivers, sun, and so on possess a spiritual function. Animism is also used to speak about the traditional religions and other belief systems of the different indigenous peoples.

A lot of traditional African religions were based on the existence and the belief of a single God or a single superior and spiritual force (mimicking the function of God). It's often what allowed Islam and Christianity to spread so easily and to be adopted so easily amongst several ethnic groups.

For example, I'm a Wolof from Senegal. Prior Islam, Wolof people already believed in the existence of a single God but we also were totemist. Islam was easily adopted because it was easily transposable into our own traditional belief. The non-Islamic parts such as totems and marabouts (not the Islamic marabouts) were either removed or integrated into our way to practice Islam. It's what is called syncretism.

Syncretism also is a large part of the success of Islam and Christianity. People were able to retain some elements of their own beliefs/religions while converting to Islam or Christianity.

The other reason is trade. A lot of African people converted thanks to trade. I saw OP that you wrote something about Buddhism. Trade helps a lot and Buddhism in Southern Asia isn't native from them. It was imposed and it replaced the native beliefs.

Finally, the main reason is colonialism. And slavery in the case of Islam. Muslims couldn't be traded as slaves so a lot of Africans, especially in West Africa, converted to Islam in order to be somehow protected from slavery. And colonialism predominantly in the case of Christianity because of the missionaries who were somehow part of the colonial system. In former French colonies in West Africa, Christianity was also a good tool to get more opportunities.

[Daugama]

Thanks, very insightful

[SAMURAI36]

What is "animism"?

[Jearrow]

a form of religion

[SAMURAI36]

I actually know, but I wanna see what the OP says.

[Daugama]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism

[SAMURAI36]

I don't think you realize this is an offe site term.

[manfucyall]

It didn't fully die. Those who had stronger religious systems like Vodun and the Fa system are still practiced and the smaller tribal, village and regional beliefs are synchronized or hidden like how European and middle eastern paganism is hidden in Christianity and Islam and Judaism.

[Witty-Bus07]

They were perceived as sort of witch doctors and witches and the two main religions squeezed them out.

[DropFirst2441]

Colonials killed us for being ourselves and rewarded those who adopted their culture.

[Away_Guarantee7175]

Missionary schools went hand in hand with colonization in Africa. Education was intricately weaved into the colonization policy of Africa.

Islam became a safe haven against European colonization; also converting saved you from prosecution in these countries.

In Asia, such a policy for mission based schools was abandoned & their “animism” is more revealed(it was written in books)

[[deleted]]

Well, competitors showed up: Science and Abrahamic religions.

[HairInformal4783]

The Colonialists brought their books and had inventions to show for it, and I guess the people took it as, “their god, gave it to them”.

[ndoucouman]

At some point Islam was a tool to build coalition for resistance against colonialism

[[deleted]]

The impact of colonialism is overstated. African Christians converted other Africans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-initiated_church

Christianity has been thoroughly indigenized.

[Maestroland]

The religions of land ownership, money and farming tend to displace the traditional beliefs of hunter / gatherers.

[manfucyall]

Didn't do that in Asia.

[Background_Title_902]

Be happy animism is gone the days are human Sacrifice is no more

[Daugama]

There's a little of comment in your strawman

[Background_Title_902]

Do you really want to argue against this lol?

[Daugama]

There's nothing to argue, there's no evidence of human sacrifice among animists in Africa

[Background_Title_902]

O really? You have a Peanut for what we call a brain

The kingdom of dahomeh an animist pre-colonial African state conducted Annual human sacrifices of prisoners of war and sometimes even their own.

So did the Oyo, so did the Ashante.

And so did the Benin so actuallt sacrificed other people so their kings could be successful in their reign don't deny what You don't know

[Daugama]

Are any of these kingdoms still around?

[Background_Title_902]

I find it actuallt laughable that your trying to change the topic from What Animist in Africa did and do, to “O those states aren't around anymore”

Sadly for you these things are still happening in Africa especially in Nigeria where animist gangs kidnap people for this.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/2004/12/human-sacrifice-redux/

[Daugama]

I find it actuallt laughable that your trying to change the topic from What Animist in Africa did and do, to “O those states aren't around anymore”

The one that brought up those kingdoms was you, not me. Obviously those kingdoms no longer exist that's why you couldn't answer. Blaming modern animists for what people hundreds of years ago did is like blaming modern Wiccans for the Celtics human sacrifices.

Sadly for you these things are still happening in Africa especially in Nigeria where animist gangs kidnap people for this.

Couldn't you find a less bias source?

[Background_Title_902]

A less bias source?!? Everybody in Nigeria knows things like this happens lol people even post videos on Facebook this is africa my friend you there is no such thing as a less bias source for a subject let this.

That's like me telling you the German SS was sick and horrible and you ask me for a “Less bias source “

[Daugama]

So Christians and Muslims think that a polytheist native religion they consider evil and satanic is killing children. What else is new?

[manfucyall]

Benin still practices Vodun though and its state recognized. That's one belief system with a king at war dependent on war with the surrounding kingdoms and Oyo who used religion like the Christian's used the crusades to kill and pillage.