African diaspora religion

Ritual being undertaken by followers of Maria Lionza.

African diaspora religion, also described as Afro-American religions, are a number of related beliefs that developed in the Americas in various nations of the Caribbean, Latin America and the Southern United States. They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam.

Characteristics

Afro-American religions involve ancestor veneration and include a creator deity along with a pantheon of divine spirits such as the Orisha, Loa, Vodun, Nkisi and Alusi, among others.

In addition to the religious syncretism of these various African traditions, many also incorporate elements of folk Catholicism including folk saints and other forms of folk religion, Native American religion, Spiritism, Spiritualism, Shamanism (sometimes including the use of entheogens) and European folklore.

Various "doctoring" spiritual traditions also exist such as Obeah and Hoodoo which focus on spiritual health. African religious traditions in the Americas can vary. They can have non-prominent African roots or can be almost wholly African in nature, such as religions like Trinidad Orisha.

Modern era

The nature and composition of the African diaspora have undergone significant changes over time: from the forced migration of African captives of the Old and New Worlds to the voluntary emigration of free, skilled Africans in search of political asylum or economic opportunities; from a diaspora with little contact with the point of origin (Africa) to one that maintains active contact with the mother continent; all culminating in the birth of a unique African who straddles continents, worlds and cultures.

List of religions and spiritual traditions

Example of a typical voodoo altar

These religions are extreme minorities in the Americas, with official populations often too small to be featured on the national census. Due to slavery and systemic racism, members of African diaspora religions were heavily persecuted throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of this persecution has resurfaced in the 21st century in the form of both state and private discrimination. Despite this discrimination, their existence is often officially celebrated and marketed as the nation's cultural heritage.

Caribbean

• Voodoo (including Cuban Vodú, Haitian Vodou, Dominican Vudú, and Vodunu)
• Santería
• Rastafari

South America

• María Lionza
• Candomblé
• Quimbanda
• Santo Daime
• Umbanda