#african diaspora religions

[southernmermaidsgrotto]

Let's talk about San Baltasar, the Wise King, Saint of Afroargentines.

I think it's extremely interesting how one of the biggest afrodiasporic cults native to Argentina is that of El Santo Negro (the Black Saint) St. Balthazar, the Wise King. Other syncretic saint cults make mention to african deities or saints with titles such as "The Queen of Rivers" or "The Queen of the Sea", making the deities involved easily identifiable, but this cult in particular is one of the most widespread across the black population of Argentina and yet the most elusive in regards to who may be behind the mask. At least, until you pay attention to the details.

The Church first introduced the cult of Catholic Figures and Saints such as San Baltasar (King Balthazar) or San Benito de Palermo (St. Benedict of Palermo, the Moor) as a way to control the enslaved population politically and culturally. Although their goal was to dissipate african religions and install catholicism among them instead, they underestimated black argentines: after much effort, the church allowed the enslaved faithful to organize socially and politically and perform dances, drumming and singing for the saints of their formed Cofradía (similar to a congregation, but including social and political structures within it, naming a king and queen or a president and other culturally and politically significant roles). Thanks to the passing down of african culture and customs through these organized societies and the syncretism within them, we can proudly say the church failed in their attempts. The african spirits are very much still an integral part of afroargentines' lives. Today, although it has spread across the country and beyond, the center of this cult is in it's origin, the capital city of Corrientes, Argentina, in a neighborhood called Cambá Cuá.

The cult to San Baltasar is clearly african in origin, although with indigenous (guaraní) influences, such as calling the saint Santo Cambá/Kambá (Black in guaraní language), calling his statues Cambára'angá (guaraní for Black Figure), and some dancers dressing up as indigenous figures like el pombero, among other things. Thus, it is an afroindigenous cult, developing amongst mixed descendants of african enslaved peoples and guaraní natives. The cult is also a local expression of the most african of customs: ancestral veneration. The festivities honor not only the Saint himself, but all the black ancestors before us who are present in pictures at the altar, and answer to the call of the drums. The color red, that covers the saint and adorns his followers, is the color of warriors and protection in African Traditional Religions. He's offered food and drink (such as wine and traditionally made sangría), and most importantly dance and drums. He is invoked and honored, along with the ancestors, through drumming and dancing, through La llamada a San Baltasar and Saludos de Tambores a los Santos Cambá (Calling Saint Balthazar and Drum Salutations to the Black Saints).

His festivities, held in Corrientes around Epiphany, from January 1st to the 6th, include dancing afroargentinean rhythms such as diverse forms of candombe and samba. Particularly, he was traditionally honored with a dance called bambula, a form of ring dance where women move in short and slow steps, barely lifting their feet, while men jump in the air, and where one singer sings a phrase that is then repeated or answered by the others present. This kind of dance is native to Congo and Angola, and widely practiced by enslaved people and their descendants in the Southern United States, the Caribbean, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The music used to this day to petition favors, to invoke his spirit into his image and even dispel or call thunderstorms or other natural phenomena, is called charanda and includes drums, guitars and triangles. Just like in other afrodiasporic devotional and resistance dances, these dances involve Kings and Queens of the dance, a hierarchy of drummers including those called Master drummers, and a hierarchy of the drums themselves as Chico, Repique and Piano.

If you compare him to Xangó...

He carries a double-headed axe. He's often depicted wearing a crown. His colors are, surprisingly, also white and red, with gold accents. Also a King and a warrior, also associated with thunderstorms and fire, drums and dance. His followers also wear white and red beaded collares. Ringing any bells...?

Now, I am not saying they are the same Spirit, but there is an undeniable resemblance. You come to your own conclusions. It's kind of obvious that this afrodiasporic cult stems from either (a) a hidden, veiled cult to the orisha(s) or (b) a syncretic cult to african deities (not only orishas but maybe other african spirits too). There is, after all, strong ties not only to Yorubaland but also to Dahomey, Kongo, etc. Just in this instance, the spirit may resemble an orisha but the rhythms and dance are from kongo, so there is much more to it than just one or the other. There is a culture of resistance born from the union of Nations through music, faith and tradition.

Sources:

None of the images here belong to me: San Baltazar and festivities [1,2,3,4-6] and Xangó [1]

Festividad de San Baltasar : performances artístico-religiosas de la cofradía de la ciudad de Corrientes, by Cavalieri, Ana Belén, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Artes, Diseño y Ciencias de la Cultura, 2018. Available for download at [Link]

San Baltazar, Historias de Corrientes at [Link]

The bamboula Lineage at [Link]

The Orishas, Indiana University at [Link]

[yearningforunity]

Women braid young woman's hair. The young woman is 17 years old, deaf and holds the position of iabassê, responsible for looking after the traditions of the terreiro.

[itsstillsweetiebythealtar]

Recently watched The Skeleton Key again and was not too pleased with how Hoodoo was portrayed (especially with them saying it started in Louisiana, Hoodoo started throughout the south simultaneously). I’m noticing that the more and more I watch a movie, the more I kinda be like.. why did they portray it like that??

But I wanted to ask all of my ATR practitioners out there, hoodoo, voodoo, lucumi, isese, santeria, obeah, etc., have you ever watched a movie and felt as if your practice was portrayed in its authentic and complex form??

[queerlyfemmeandblack]

“I saw giants” by Àsìkò

[reasoningdaily]

Why Kongo Spirituality Is Not As Popular in the American Diaspora

ONE REASON WHY TRADITIONAL KONGO SPIRITUALITY MAY NOT BE AS POPULAR IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN DIASPORA ~ Iya J. Oftentimes, when many people think of Kongo spirituality, they think of branches such as Palo Mayombe.

 However, there is a traditional aspect of Kongo spirituality still practiced in Africa.  Here are some tips on how to bridge the gap and begin to understand Kongo Spirituality from a perspective of its origins.

[djhamaradio]

Anyone who knows me knows I live on YouTube and it entertains and educates me. I love studying Africa and love studying the diaspora in general. This video was a very illuminating and respectful analysis of Vodoun culture. It really points to how folks in the diaspora used religion to maintain cosmic ties to Africa as a physical and spiritual place so interesting.

[spicy-calamari98]

Why is it every time I want to collect some rain water I'm at work? Ancestors must be saying get out that mud 😭

[yungcrybby-anonymousbosch666]

the brainwashing of the descendants of slaves in the united states is so complete that they fear africa. cultures of the diaspora that have retained some of their africaness especially in religion are regarded with fear by descendants who've had "african religions are evil" pounded into their heads for the last 300 years as they were forced to become Christian.

Haitians bear the brunt of this superstitious ignorance as do people from Louisiana. Why? Because parts of west africa have been preserved in their culture.

Africa (the entire continent because black people descended from slaves in the United States are ignorant of individual countries and language groups) is a big scary giant looming on the horizon thanks to hundreds of years of brainwashing.

[thevitalportal]

According to the web site santeria.org

“What is the difference between Voodoo, Hoodoo and Santeria?

All too often, Santeria is mistakenly confused with other African-derived magical or religious systems. It is very common for people to refer to the practices of Santería Lucumi (Lukumi) as “voodoo” by the media, in television and cinema. Movies and television are notorious for lumping all African Diasporic Traditions into one boat, calling them all voodoo and then mocking them or creating sensationalism that is rooted in cultural misinformation. Tack on to this cross-confusion between Voodoo and Hoodoo and you get a whole other layer of misunderstanding about what Santeria really is. We hope this article will help clarify some confusions, and help set the record straight once and for all. “

Santeria is a west African rooted belief system that helped Africans in the diaspora survive the violence of slavery. Often referred to as a pagan religions belief system when the European Christian belief systems defined what was a religion within the hegemony of the slave trade. The nuanced differences were often ignored when Santeria and Voodoo and

The difference between Santeria and Voodoo:

The primary African beliefs are different: Santeria is based on the Yoruba belief system, while Voodoo is rooted in Fon and Ewe beliefs.

[jojotier]

My grandfather was a pagan priest, my mother's a Catholic witch, and I'm an atheist mostly because I reckon that if there is a God he'll appreciate the irony

[southernmermaidsgrotto]

Tag yourself!

{made with the Ancestors and Great Spirits of the African Diaspora in mind, here's what I associate with each day of the week and the children of the diaspora born therein:

Monday's child is fair of face

Tuesday's child is full of grace

Wednesday's child is full of woe

Thursday's child has far to go

Friday's child is loving and giving

Saturday's child works hard for a living

And the child born on the Sabbath day

Is bonny and blithe, good and gay.

Monday: masters of finding new roads and moving forwards, tearing down blockages, trailblazers and warriors. Artists of all kinds, writers, poets, singers.

Tuesday: embodiment of thunderstorms, winds, omens, they're powerful conjurers with hot hands, always busy, always moving. Often times scholars, historians.

Wednesday: defenders, protectors, of humanity and nature as a whole. Warrior spirits at their core, but also great diviners and mediums.

Thursday: eloquent muses of the arts of love and war alike, great beauties who lead armies with equal charm and force. Sweetening, love and luck workings come easy to them.

Friday: personification of abundance and status. A commanding presence. Building legacy, great manifestors and conjurers, specially for work and finances.

Saturday: guardians of waters and the beyond. Community leaders, gifted healers, divine messengers. Carrying all the wisdom of the Elders and Ancestors.

Sunday: priests and priestesses that defy status quo, very old Ancestors coming back to reshape and rebirth reality. They will enter your life and purge every aspect of it.}

[humanistic-temple-of-alkebulan]

[makutamewtwo]

Glory to Saint Expeditus

Glory to Saint Expedite for stomping out the crow in my brain that ever calls "Cras Cras" you stomp out this ever nagging inclination and make me remember that if I want to do something and I have the energy and mentality to do it, I should do it HODIE! Glory be to thee Holy Martyr who stomps out procrastination, glory be to the golden armored centurion who brings results immediately, immediately, quickly, quickly! Great art thou o Saint Expeditus, thank you, one ever aiding the artist with deadlines he sets himself.

AMEN

[stuhde]

i had shared what is happening in sudan on a long facebook post last night, but it virtually received almost little to no engagement or shares from the nearly 600 “friends” i have on the site.

this morning, my great-aunt was shot by the soldiers fighting for power, and God forbid, i lose more of my family members before eid this friday.

please read below to understand what is happening and how you can help my country. i hope the tumblr community can show more kindness than the lack of support and advocacy i’ve seen elsewhere.

يا رب اجعل هذا البلد آمناً 🇸🇩

the lack of awareness and advocacy from the African, Arab, and Muslim diaspora and the human rights community has been painful.

while Western media has done little to no coverage of the ongoing conflict in the capital city of my motherland, Sudan, it appears that the rest of the world also partakes in normalizing crimes and violence against SWANA people.

violence and war hurting the SWANA region are NOT ordinary occurrences — no one, regardless of race, creed, ethnicity, religion, and gender, should experience the unprecedented amount of violence that harms my two living grandmothers, aunts and uncles, and baby cousins who live in Khartoum.

your decision to ignore reading or educating and discussing with others about what is likely to be a civil war is complicity in viewing SWANA people as individuals who regularly experience conflict and are undeserving of help.

the silence is damaging, and it is up to us as privileged members of the diaspora (or individuals living in the Western world committed to human rights) to support the people of my country and their dream for a stable, democratically elected government.

what is happening in Sudan is a fight that started on April 15 between two competing forces for power — the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — neither groups are representative of the needs of our people. The Sudan Army is loyal to the dictator, Omar Al-Bashir, and the RSF is responsible for the genocide in Darfur.

with both power struggles backed by different Arab and Gulf nations, the two parties have been fighting for power for the last few years. While they worked together to try and end the people’s revolution, they lost. however, they are now in a constant power play of who will get to rule the nation.

this all means that war is NOT a reflection of my country — violence does not represent the SWANA people. Sudan is a nation of beautiful culture, strong women, intellectual and influential Islamic scholars, poets, and youth at the front lines of the revolution. we are a people committed to a region of peace for ourselves and the rest of the Ummah.

my family and the rest of Sudan’s innocent civilians are at the most risk, with many currently without drinking water, food to eat, electricity, and complete blockage to any mosques during the final nights of Ramadan, our holiest month of the year.

i ask that you please keep Sudan and our people in your prayers — donate to the Sudan Red Crescent or a mutual aid GoFund Me, email your representatives if you live in a country that can put pressure on either competing force of power, discuss this with your family and friends, and please do not forget to think about SWANA people — our brothers and sisters in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and many others need our love and support.

الردة_مستحيلة ✊🏾

#KeepEyesOnSudan

[queerlyfemmeandblack]

“Egungun,” Ouidah, Benin, 2012 by Dan Kitwood

[idylls-of-the-divine-romance]

USAmerican Christians and anti-Christians alike need to get something in their heads: White male Christians are in the minority.

And I'm not even talking about people who claim to be Christian but I believe are "bad" christians. I mean out of people that claim the religion, white men are in the minority. In the States? It's black people, and in particular black women (can confirm just from experience as a black person btw). Followed closely by Latinos.

As of now, the title of "most Christian" continent is Africa, with Latin America next, and finally Europe (tho I am suspicious of this last one).

"In terms of population distribution, Christianity will be chiefly a religion of Africa and the African diaspora, which will, in a sense, be the heartland of Christianity.” - Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom.

As such, truly devout Christians have more in common with someone we would consider "inconceivably poor" than with someone from your own location, economic status, and political party who does not believe in Jesus.

And this is all very important. To quote Dr Gina A. Zurlo, "We have a lot to learn from people who live in greater religious diversity (Asia , I’m looking at you); from Christians who have lived and worked among Muslim populations for generations (sub-Saharan Africa, that’s you); from Christians who deal with the negative consequences of climate change most acutely (yep, Oceania, that’s you); and, well, Latin America, we have a lot to learn from you, too (especially your neighbor, the USA!)."

The multi-ethnic family of God/humanity is the entire story of the bible. Understanding that is crucial. Please for the love of God do not diminish your thoughts on Christianity to some fundamentalist baptist from the American South. This is the most diverse religion in the world, we ought to start acting like it.

Tl;dr: your conviction that Christianity is a white man's religion is racist and Euro-American centric. Christianity was born in the Middle East and went to Africa before it ever reached Greece or Rome.