WHITEMANS QUESTION FOR AFRICANS ABOUT CULTURE With permission, I publish a dialogue that I have had with a whiteman about our culture. This conversation is ongoing in another forum and I will like to have your thoughts: Anthony Sytsma asks “ African friends, I have a question for you. I went to a museum recently and saw all kinds of traditional African statues, fetishes, masks, and staffs, and other things. As African Christians, how do you feel about such objects? Do you tribes/families use them? Do you still value them as part of your cultural heritage? Or have you completely sworn them off as evil objects of traditional religion? Or is your view somewhere in between? Eric Ranck “Could it make a difference what a mask, etc. represents? I guess it seems that if you ask someone, and there is a demonic explanation behind it, why as Christians would we endorse it by participating in it? Such as having a statue in our house or wearing some necklace. On the other hand, Paul talks in Romans about food offered to idols and says to eat what is put before you, without asking questions I guess Ive seen enough of what witchcraft can do here, that I wouldnt want something that would be giving my allegiance to satan in any way” Josh Amaezechi “One error the early missionaries did in Africa was their failure to understand the people and the culture before they demonized everything in the culture. Though Art and mysticism go together in all cultures, it is possible to separate them which is what has been done in European culture thereby unlocking the arts for innovation and growth. The continued demonization of African art needs to give way so that growth and innovation can happen. Christians in Africa need to see themselves as agents for redeeming the culture rather than agents for cultural demonization. While they have been taught to demonize Arts in their culture, the African Christians turn around and worship foreign art and culture as Christly not knowing that most of those culture had been redeemed from the gods by European Christians Anthony Sytsma Interesting thoughts Josh. I saw you wearing traditional African clothing in your picture. But what about masks and fetishes? Any redeeming use in those? Josh Amaezechi Anthony Sytsma Those masks are works of Art. You have to note that there were no patents in those days and the only way to secure anything was to assign it to a god. (Herbal medicine suffered the same problem as native doctors included rituals in their practices so that their patient would not know that he or she can uproot the same root or leaf and administer it to himself). Check out each of those masks and you will find out that each was unique to a certain community and within the community, a certain family. They were never mass produced or replicated, having been patented with a god or spirit. I have no doubt that some fetishes could be inhabited by evil or deceptive spirits. This could happen to any work of Art when animal blood is sacrificed to it consistently even when deception is intended. The fact that the fetishes are sitting comfortably at the Museum points to the reality that the Spirits could be ignored and there is nothing the spirits can do. The redemptive value of every work of Art is the story behind it and what it says about the maker or what the maker intended it to say. For African Art generally, it needs to be freed from the gods so that it can be improved and developed. Current generation of African Artists will stand taller if they are standing on the shoulder of African Artists that have existed before them Anthony Sytsma Josh, i like your perspective. But do you know if it is representative? Or are there a lot of African christians with a completely different viewpoint from you? Josh Amaezechi Anthony Sytsma I wish that I have read some sources which I can refer you to but I arrived at my understanding by observing and asking questions within the Igbo ethnic group where I come from. I believe that there are Christians that might hold completely different viewpoint but my experience so far is that most African Christians have not really given a good thought to their cultural practices except to the extent of finding out if a practice is associated with the Devil or with God. If they conclude that it is associated with the devil, their attitude is to boycott it and have nothing to do with it. But watch these same Christians jumping up and down, filled with awe and admiration as they watch foreign carnivals or enjoy watching sports on a good stadium. No one has told them that these things were associated with the works of darkness in the past but had been redeemed through Christian engagement with culture. You probably know that even up to the early 70s, you could not find a pastor in Nigeria and may be the whole of Africa that preached without tie on his neck or preached while dressed in a traditional attire. This was their reasoning- Why would you preach about God wearing the heathens clothing? I think that the conversation we are having here should also be happening among African Christians. They have been empowered for spiritual dominion but dis-empowered for natural dominion. They cannot unlock their creativity until they respond to Gods call to take dominion over the earth and this will begin by their standing on the shoulders of their people who had come before them and not throwing everything they did away as demonic
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 03:51:31 +0000
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