An opinion piece from the Manchester Guardian about religion in Africa
Hatred, violence and war are also shaped by religious beliefs and institutions. In European history the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition demonstrate some of Christianity's darker justifications. In Africa, most rebel movements, such as the Lord's Resistance Army, almost always claim religious or spiritual guidance in their work.
Whether religion is a force for good or not, it dominates life in Africa. A walk down any street in any town or trading centre will reveal some sort of place of worship. If people own only one book it will be the Bible or the Qur'an. These two texts are a source of spiritual and moral guidance, a way of making sense of the world.
It is all too easy to view religion in Africa as something static and unchanging, bound up with ideas of what is "tradition" or culture. Christianity, in particular, suffers in this regard. It is viewed by many outsiders with suspicion, a thing that is inauthentic, un-African.
The truth is very far from this. The clergy is almost entirely made up of Africans and has been for most of the past century. Few of the people I know in Teso would regard Christianity as a "European" religion. Instead many of my friends point out to me that it now falls to Africans to do missionary work in Europe. The average Anglican is a 24-year-old African woman.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/katineblog/2008/oct/01/life.uganda
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