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It is a socio-religious and even a political thing that is identifiable in every nation of the world.
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This was the norm in the past which apparently strengthened the reason why men were valued more in the homes and community at large.Ĭultism is not an African thing. An initiated man is accorded all sorts of respect because he seems to have graduated into the super-mortals club and wields a lot of authority. The ideology behind this is to further show the importance of being a man, the gender most qualified and suitable to commune with the spirit beings. An illustration will be the initiation of young men into the masquerade cult and by implication into manhood. In that vein, the ATR has a way of influencing the people since it covers pretty much everything, from the individual obligations to the politics and administration of the community.Įven in the recent modern dispensation, having secret groups is no surprise to Africans, it has been deep-rooted from centuries ago. Hierarchy is a peculiar thing in any form of religion, and every religion I must say has a flair for the politics of its administration. There are laid down systems of being and doing things. In the past, the ATR embodied the totality of the people’s way of life. There is also a belief in mystical powers. The African Traditional Religion (ATR) is typically a system of worship deeply rooted in the reverence of a supreme being, divinities and deities, and ancestors as well.