The African view of man strikes a balance between his collective identity as a member of society and his personal identity as a unique individual. In general, African philosophy tends to define a person in terms of the social groups to which he belongs. Mbiti in his book, African Religions, has aptly said, “the individual is conscious of himself in terms of I am because we are, and since we are, therefore I am”. Destiny and community always balance freedom and individuality, and these in turn are balanced by natural and supernatural powers. Every person is a combination of interacting elements of the self and of the world, which shape, and are shaped by, his behavior.
The relationship between the living and the dead in the African culture is most interesting. This relationship, is commonly though somewhat misleadingly called ‘ancestor worship’. It has powerful moral and psychological dimensions and plays a vital role in the every day life of almost every African society.
What is important to understand is the way in which the dead continues to be involved in the affairs of the living. According to the African belief the soul of man is immortal and after death it returns to its origin. Based on its social status and its moral achievements in this life it can be a powerful force, which will guide the living and protect them. This spirit will become a mediator between the living people and God. Prayers are offered to God through the intercession of ancestors. In times of difficulty or misfortune, special ceremonies are held to invoke their assistance.
As mentioned above, in the African culture, God rarely intervenes in the moral life of men on earth. Although none of the scientists pronounce the Supreme Being unknowable and unreachable, this is the explanation we can find when we study about God or the Supreme Being. This One, who is the Creator, does not interfere with the day to day affairs of people but from time to time sends Messengers to guide the people and show them the right path.
It is the ancestors who act as the official guardians of the social and moral order. This is especially true of small scale, stateless societies whose sociopolitical rules are almost entirely governed by a descent system based on genealogical frameworks. In such societies, ancestors become the focus of religious activity. This is not because of a special ‘fear’ of the dear or because of an especially strong ‘belief in souls’, but rather because of the importance of the system in defining moral relations.
The ancestors are a society’s projection of its authority system on to the supernatural sphere. Through this system ancestor rites are seen to be a function of a society’s need to maintain itself, by ritualization of its rules concerning social relations.
The ancestors do not, however, govern the whole of the moral order. They govern the narrower sphere of moral obligation. They do not concern themselves with personal moral virtue or with the performance of good deeds but rather with adherence to public norms. In this sense, wicked persons may prosper, even in the eyes of the ancestors, as long as they fulfill the social duties required of them. (African Religions, B. Ray, Princetown University)
The argument presented above is in contrast to the findings of Kuper who says. “Illness and other misfortunes are frequently attributed to the ancestors, but Swazis believe that the spirits do not inflict suffering through malice. They act as custodians of correct behavior and tribal ethics. Ancestors punish, they do not kill.” (The Swazi, Hilda Kuper, Oxford)
There is a story told in some of the African tribes which may make the understanding of the ancestral beliefs easier. Long ago, a great and noble Banto king was in the habit of climbing a twin-peaked mountain at daybreak, there to intercede with the Great One on behalf of his people. His son who succeeded him, was afraid to draw newr to the Great God whom his father worshipped, so he called upon the spirit of his father to intercede for him and his people before the Creator of all. Gradually each head of a house adopted this method of approaching God until each family had its own ancestral spirits as mediators first, then merely as beings who brought good luck and who needed to be propitiated by sacrifice and constant flattery and attention. (The Swazi, Marwick.
Each family and clan has its own particular spirits who are its own male ancestors. The only other spirits that concern a family are those of the king’s ancestors, who care for the whole country.
The traditional Swazi perception of the spirit world resembles the world of the living to such an extent that it constitutes an almost true projection of the world of the living. Hilda Kuper says that in that spirit world men and women, old and young, aristocrats and commoners, continue the patterns of superiority and inferiority established by earthly experiences.
The ancestors are praised, invoked, or rebuked on various occasions. Following is a summary of these occasions:
When a village is being moved they are informed and asked to go to the new site.
In healing, they are invoked so that those of the doctor and those of the patient will work together for the latter’s recovery
When the parents with to have a child of a particular sex, they drink certain medicines and mentally beseech the husband’s ancestors to send the child they desire.
When a girl goes off to be married, her people praise their ancestors, asking them to extend their help to the girl even at the village to which she is going. (The Swazi, Marwick)
Who Are the Ancestors?
The healers describe ‘ancestors’ as spirits, much like guardian angles. These are often one’s great grandparents, grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles. Ancestor can also refer to someone other than family, like a great teacher or an associate of your family. One of the healers in Swaziland has a white lady who comes to her as an ancestor. She herself did not know who this lady was and asked the elders about it. She found out that her grandfather used to work for this white woman and was very much loved and respected by her.
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