ReligioninAfrica

ThemajorityofAfricansareadherentsoftheAbrahamicreligions:IslamandChristianity.
BothreligionsarewidespreadthroughoutAfrica.Thesereligionsareoftenadaptedto
Africanculturalcontextsandindigenousbeliefsystems.Itwasestimatedin2000that
Christiansform45%ofAfrica'spopulation,andMuslimsforming40.6%.

AmapoftheAfrica,showingthemajorreligionsdistributedasoftoday.Mapshowsonlythereligionasawhole
excludingdenominationsorsectsofthereligions,andiscoloredbyhowthereligionsaredistributednotby
mainreligionofcountry.

Christianity
AlthoughChristianityexistedfarbeforetheruleofKingEzanatheGreatoftheKingdomof
Axum,thereligiontookastrongfootholdwhenitwasdeclaredastatereligionin330AD.
PinpointingadateastowhenChristianityemergedinEthiopiawillalwaysprobablybea
mystery.
TheearliestandbestknownreferencetotheintroductionofChristianitywaswhenthe
evangelistPhillipconvertedanEthiopiantravelerinthe1stCenturyADfromtheActsofthe
Apostles.AlthoughthebiblereferstothemasEthiopians,scholarshavearguedthatEthiopia
wasacommontermusedforencompassingtheareaSouthSoutheastofEgypt.Other
traditionshavetheconvertasaJewwhowasastewardintheQueenscourt.Allaccountsdo
agreeonthefactthatthetravelerwasamemberoftheroyalcourtwhosuccessfully
succeededinconvertingtheQueen,whichinturncausedachurchtobebuilt.Rufinusof
Tyre,anotedchurchhistorian,alsohasrecordedapersonalaccountasdootherchurch
historianssuchasSocratesandSozemius.
Afterbeingshipwreckedandcapturedatanearlyage,FrumentiuswascarriedtoAxum
wherehewastreatedwellwithhiscompanionEdesius.Atthetime,therewasasmall
populationofChristianslivingtherewhosoughtrefugefromRomanpersecution.Onceof
age,FrumentiusandEdesiuswereallowedtoreturntotheirhomelands,howeverthey
chosetostayattherequestofthequeen.Indoingso,theybegantosecretlypromote
Christianitythroughthelands.
Duringatriptomeetwithchurchelders,FrumentiusmetwithAthanasius,Archbishopof
Alexandriawhowassecondinlinetothepope.Afterrecommendingthatabishopbesentto
proselytize,acouncildecidedthatFrumentiusbeappointedasabishoptoEthiopia.
By430AD,FrumentiusreturnedtoEthiopia,hewaswelcomedwithopenarmsbytherulers
whowereatthetimenotChristian.Tenyearslater,throughthesupportofthekings,the
majorityofthekingdomwasconvertedandChristianitywasdeclaredtheofficialstate
religion.

Islam
IslamhasadherentsthroughoutAfricaanditisoneofthemostwidelypracticedreligionson
thecontinent.ItshistoricrootsinAfricastemfromthetimeofitsfounderMuhammad
whoserelativesandfollowersmigratedonahijratoAbyssiniainfearofpersecutionfrom
thepaganArabs.IslamspreadtoAfricaviapassagesthroughtheSinaiPeninsulaandEgypt
andthroughIslamicArabandPersiantradersandsailors.Islam'sfirstmuezzin,Bilalibn
Ribah,wasalsoofNortheastAfrican(Habasha)descent.
IslamisthedominantreligioninNorthAfricaandtheHornofAfrica,anditisalsothe
predominantandhistoricalreligionoftheWestAfricaninteriorandthefarwestcoastofthe
continentaswellasthecoastofEastAfrica.Throughouthistory,therewereseveralMuslim
empiresinWesternAfricawhoexertedconsiderableinfluencenotablytheMaliEmpire,
whichflourishedforseveralcenturiesandtheSonghaiEmpire,undertheleadershipofSonni
AliandAskiaMohammed.
Islamcontinuedarapidgrowthintothetwentiethandtwentyfirstcenturies.Islamicvalues
areseentohavemuchincommonwithtraditionalAfricanlife:itsemphasisoncommunal
living,itsclearrolesformenandwomen,itstoleranceofpolygamy.AccordingtotheNew
YorkTimes,ChristianitywasalientomostAfricans.Today,Muslimshaveincreasedsuccess
inproselytizing,withagrowthrate,bysomeestimates,thatistwiceasfastasChristianityin
Africa.AnotableexampleincludesRwandawhere,accordingtoreports,thepercentageof
MuslimsinRwandahasdoubledortripledsincethegenocide,duetoMuslimprotectionof
TutsisandtoHutuswantingtodistancethemselvesfromthosewhocommittedgenocide.

Judaism
AdherentsofJudaismtoocanbefoundscatteredacrossAfrica.Perhapsnotaswellknown
asthehistoryofChristianityandIslaminAfricatotheoutsideobserver,Judaismhasan
ancientandrichhistoryontheAfricancontinent.Today,thereareJewishcommunitiesin
manycountries;includingtheBetaIsraelofEthiopia,theAbayudayaofUganda,theHouse
ofIsraelinGhana,theIgboJewsofNigeriaandtheLembaofSouthernAfrica.

Hindusim
ThehistoryofHinduisminAfricais,bymostaccounts,veryshortincomparisontothatof
Islam,Christianity,orJudaism.However,thepresenceofitspractitionersinAfricadatesback
toprecolonialtimesandevenmedievaltimes.TherearesizableofHindupopulationsin
SouthAfricaandtheEastAfricancoastalnations.

Traditionalreligion
TraditionalAfricanreligionencompassesawidelyvarietyoftraditionalbeliefs.Traditional
religiouscustomsaresometimessharedbymanyAfricansocieties,buttheyareusually
uniquetospecificethnicgroups.ManyAfricanChristiansandMuslimsmaintainsome
aspectsoftheirtraditionalreligions.

Percentageofpopulationpracticingtraditionaltribalreligion:

Religiousaffiliation,1990:

ReligioninMozambique
AccordingtothemostrecentcensusconductedbytheNationalInstituteofStatisticsin
1997,halfofthepopulationdoesnotprofesstopracticeareligionorcreed;however,
religiousleadersexpectedthecensusscheduledforlate2007toshowthatvirtuallyallof
thesepersonsrecognizeorpracticesomeformoftraditionalindigenousreligion.According
tothe1997census,24percentareRomanCatholic,22percentareProtestant,and20
percentareMuslim.ManyMuslimleadersdisagreewiththisstatistic,claimingthatsince
Islamisthemajorreligionpracticedinthemostpopulousprovincesofthecountry,atleast
50percentofthepopulationmustbeMuslim
Religiouscommunitiesaredispersedthroughoutthecountry.Thenorthernprovincesare
predominantlyMuslim,particularlyalongthecoastalstrip,butsomeareasofthenorthern
interiorhaveastrongerconcentrationofProtestantorCatholiccommunities.Protestants
andCatholicsaregenerallymorenumerousinthesouthernandcentralregions,butMuslim
minoritypopulationsarealsopresentintheseareas.
TheRomanCatholicChurchhasestablishedtwelvedioceses(Beira,Chimoio,Guru,
Inhambane,Lichinga,Maputo,Nacala,Nampula,Pemba,Quelimane,Tete,andXaiXai
archdiocesesareBeira,MaputoandNampula).Statisticsforthediocesesrangefromalow
7.44%CatholicsinthepopulationinthedioceseofChimoio,to87.50%inQuelimanediocese
(2006officialCatholicfigures).
Muslimsareparticularlypresentinthenorthofthecountry.Theyareorganisedinseveral
"tariqa"orbrotherhoods(oftheQadiriyaorShadhuliyyahbranch).Twonational
organisationsalsoexisttheConselhoIslamicodeMoambique(reformists)andthe
CongressoIslamicodeMocambique(proSufi).TherearealsoimportantIndoPakistani
associationsaswellassomeShiaandparticularlyIsmailicommunities.
Accordingtothe1997census,theRomanCatholiccommunitymakesup23.8percentofthe
populationofMozambique.Muslimscomprise17.8percentofthepopulation,andpeopleof
theProtestantcommunitymakeup17.5%ofthecountry'spopulation.17.8%ofthepeople
haveotherbeliefs,and23.1%havenoreligiousbeliefs.

Thecountry'sleadingmosquesandtheCatholicChurchhavegraduallyeliminatedmany
traditionalindigenouspracticesfromtheirplacesofworship,institutingpracticesthatreflect
astricterinterpretationofsacredtexts;however,someChristianandMuslimadherents
continuetoincorporatetraditionalpracticesandrituals,andreligiousauthoritieshave
generallybeenpermissiveofsuchpractices.[