Here About a Conversation with a Christian from Africa

Originally published 9/1/13

….had an interesting conversation with a christian Nigerian yesterday….

He was talking about how much he loved Jesus and I asked why people in Subsaharan Africa embraced a foreign religion in spite of their intense indigenous spirituality. He quickly corrected me and said Africa has NOT rejected the Orisha. He said they go to Jesus for ‘meager’ things, but when there is something they cannot handle –that is above their heads, they go to the Orisha. Hmmmm.

I then asked about the original Vodun culture of Benin and how it differed from Haitian Voodoo. This very intelligent, educated man told me that the spirit religion of Benin does not have near as many gods as Haiti. He said they have less than 10 and they have other religions like Orisha, but with more rituals and called by other names. This spirituality is lumped together by outsiders and called Voodoo.