Exploring The Role Of Indigenous African Religion In African Folktales: An Analysis Of Ancestral Beliefs And Cultural Preservation

Abstract

Quite often we have witnessed the visibility of Indigenous African Religion (IAR) in many if not all African oral literature, mostly in folklore. Most characters in African folktales are mostly rescued by ancestors who appear to be characters in the form of animals. Children as recipients of oral literature grow up with the strong belief that ancestors are capable of rescuing members of their lineage every time they are in trouble. Ancestral belief is a religion categorized under the Indigenous African Religion (IAR). For many years, even before the invasion of Western missionaries, all African people across the entire African continent had only the IAR as their only religion that guided their lives and answered the most intricate supernatural questions. This religion was able to provide answers to the difficult questions of life after death and the powers that the ancestors have on our prosperity and well-being. This article reports on the study that focused on the visibility and part played by African Indigenous Religion in African oral literature. The study followed a qualitative research approach where a case study design, was adopted. Data were generated through focus group interviews and cultural analysis. The study found that: many African folktales have AIR used mainly to rescue characters. Two, the role played by the AIR brings forth the strong message that ancestors as agents of IAR have absolute control and protection over the lives of African people. These findings have at least two implications. Firstly, the Indigenous African Religion is innate to all African people; most African Christians have IAR first before converting to Christianity. All these findings imply that African people have dual religions; they wake up early in the morning and appease their ancestors and in the afternoon, they wear the Western rope of honour and go to church