Africism

Aloysius M. Lugira

Africism is the term coined by Aloysius M. Lugira to refer to the system of African religious beliefs, ritual practices, and thought concerning the Supreme Being, suprahuman beings, human beings, and the universe. Africism is the autochthonous religion and philosophy of Africa. It is autochthonous because, from time immemorial and independently from developments in other cultures, it intrinsically pertains to Africa. In this age of growing globalization, attention has been increasingly directed to the acquisition of objective knowledge about the religion of Africa. In pursuit of an objective understanding of the religion of Africa, African scholars have been encouraged to adopt the African American approach pioneered by Maulana Karenga, as stressed by the principle of Kujichagulia . This Kiswahili term means “self-determination,” that is, Africans' ability to “to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.” This entry describes the geo-ontological approach to the naming of the ...

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