A series by Sudi Yusuf
In the African spiritual system, the word spirit means breath (True, Islam. 1999. The Book of God, Atlanta, All In All Publishing, p.6) – that which animates us. Spirituality was the way of life, the totality of our understanding of life and creation. Spirituality was, and still is, the comprehension of our reality and its connection to the divine. Spirituality is our cultural reality and it is practiced using the tools designed by our ancestry as a way to solve problems, evolve and grow to a better version of ourself as individuals and as a community.
In every African spiritual system, whether we are talking about
the Ntr (Netcher) ( HILLIARD III G, Asa and al. 1987. The Teachings of Ptahhotep: The Oldest book in the world, Grand Forks, Blackwood Press, p. 8) in Egypt,
the Orisha of Nigeria or
Loas in Haiti,
which are all the same elements of the divine; it teaches us that during one’s life on earth, you are expected to uphold the principle of Ma’at (truth, justice and reciprocity). We understood that we were one with the divine – the totality of creation, that one’s action in life affected not only one’s self but others' lives as well and the universe. We understood that each individual/ animal is an expression of the divine. People were expected to depend on each other to keep balance, as this was the will of the universe.
While religion is a social and institutionalized system of devotion, beliefs and practices in worshipping God or the supernatural, the African spiritual system is embedded in a cultural reality. Let us dive deeper into this understanding of Voodoo.
Maat sur une fresque
Musée archéologique de Florence