Gst 201 course guide
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| SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE What was the relationship between God and the lesser gods or goddesses in traditional Africa 3.2 Religion and Social Stability In traditional society there were no written constitutions at all. They adhered to and believed in an unwritten code of conduct guaranteed by the ancestors and the gods or goddesses. That code of conduct defined the good and the bad conduct in the society. History tells us that the social and cultural organization of traditional African society was embedded in religion. Every performance such as marriage, the naming of a newborn childbirth and death ceremonies and the age grade system were religion-related. The fear and respect for the gods and ancestors were a sine qua non. This contributed immensely to the cohesion and maintenance of social and cultural values in the society. In traditional African society, every marriage, for instance, was contracted with the fear of the ancestors and gods. This belief seriously reduced the rate of divorce. History tells us that in traditional Urhobo society for instance, divorce was uncommon because they believed that since the ancestors had received the drinks and food given them during the marriage ceremony, it was expected to last forever. It is obvious that in traditional Africa marriages also contributed to the stability in the whole social structure. Moreover, there were no cases of bastard children in traditional African society. Every child born outside wedlock was integrated into the family. There was no police force in the modern sense of the word, in traditional Africa. The gods and ancestors were the only regulators of morality and conduct. Secret societies were also considered as very powerful in traditional African society as they contributed immensely to the social stability. In Nigeria, for instance, there were the Ogboni and the Oro in Yorubaland, the Ekpe and the Leopard society in Cross-River and the Arochukwu in the Igbo country, the Owegbe in Benin and the Igboze in the Urhoboland. In precolonial Africa, secret cults formed an essential part of the native court government. |