Exhibition highlights African religious roots
This week, researchers at the Institute of Social and Cultural Research are exploring the vast world of religion, specifically, the connection of mainstream beliefs to African roots. Here in Belize, Catholicism and Obeah might be household names but have you ever heard of Pocomania or Santeria? Programme Director of the I.S.C.R., Froyla Salam, maintains that intrinsic bonds of commonality exist between many religious practices. Radical thinking? Definitely. But it’s a provocative argument that might have you asking yourself some fundamental questions.
Froyla Salam, Director, I.S.C.R.
?There are certain things that they have in common. One of them is ancestor worship. They all believe that their ancestors are still among us and that we need to feed them, give them water, and that?s something you find at the altars for example. Another common thing they have is the belief in animism, that everything in this world has a spirit or part of divine power.?
?In a sentence, Santeria comes from the Yoruban religion. It believes in ancestor worship. It believes that there is a divine spirit in all things, living and non-living, and that human beings have to take care of those things in order for those things to take care of the human being.?
?What is Christianity about? It?s about trying to fight the evil and using good to do that. It?s like you cannot do harm without harm not coming back to you. But if you do good, you expect good to happen to you, you go to altars, you celebrate Jesus Christ. To me Jesus becomes like an ancestor, the saints become like ancestors. And when you look at it at that level you can see why the African people had no problems syncretizing their gods with the Catholic gods. Simple as that.?
The display will be on at the Belize City House of Culture through the middle of June.
