Ancestral worship a common phenomenon
ANCESTRAL worship is the age old practice of believing in the spirits of the dead. It is founded on the belief that the dead live on and are able to influence the lives of later generations. These ancestors can assert their powers by blessing or cursing, and their worship is inspired by both respect
By Stephen Ssenkaaba
ANCESTRAL worship is the age old practice of believing in the spirits of the dead. It is founded on the belief that the dead live on and are able to influence the lives of later generations. These ancestors can assert their powers by blessing or cursing, and their worship is inspired by both respect and fear.
The ancestor cult consists of praying, presenting gifts and offerings. In some cultures, people try to get their ancestors’ advice through oracles before making important decisions.
In Africa, ancestral worship is common practice. The ancestors of the tribe are honoured as spirits who preserve the moral standards of tribal life. They are also regarded as the intermediaries between the living and the divine powers.
Ancestral spirits also play an important role in initiation rites. Among some west-African people, there is a belief that the ancestors reincarnate in their descendants.
In Uganda, different communities carry out ancestral worship in different ways. In Buganda, for example, Lubaale (god) played a key role in the spiritual life of the people as the intermediary between them and the spirit world.
There were different names for different gods, each of whom performed a specific role Mukasa (god of the sea), Ddungu (god of hunting) Kiwanuka and others.
In the olden days, it was a discreet exercise, with myths and mystery. Mention of the word essabo (shrine where people go to worship spirits) evoked fear in anyone and not many people dared stop around such a place.
Over the years, ancestral worship has become a way of life. People openly visit shrines to seek healing power from the spirits. Traditional healers today openly advertise their services to the public on radio and on banners and signposts.
“I do my work in the open. I sit down with my clients and have open discussions with them about their problems,†says Sylvia Namutebi (Mama Fina), a renowned diviner based in Katwe.
The number of shrines has also doubled to match the great demand for services in and outside Kampala. Mama Fina says while she operates only once every week (on Sunday), she attends to over 300 clients.
Dativa Nabukalu owned a shrine in Masaka and was in the business for 10 years. She says she attended to 20 to 30 clients everyday.
Henry Ford Miriima, who has done research on African traditional worship for the last 20 years, sayswhile it is not easy to establish the number of shrines and the people who visit them, there is at least one shrine in every sub-county. So why has the shrine bubble burst?
“People are desperate for quick solutions to the challenges of modern life. This has made big business for the diviners,†says Br. Fr. Anatolius Waswa of Kiteredde Banakalori Brothers. Waswa has also been researching on ancestral worship for over 20 years. He says diviners earn millions of shillings.
Mirima, however, attributes this trend to uncertainty. “The need to keep in-line with their religion, propelling people to go to church and their desire to get quick answers to problems, sending them to the shrines,†he says.
Brother Anatoli says before anyone embarks on ancestral worship, they need to understand the likely consequences.
Mama Fina, however, says for all the scorn, ancestral worship is one of the most important and effective means of seeking divine intervention. “There is nothing as good and as powerful as ancestral worship.
The only problem is that it has been hijacked by unscrupulous people,†she says.
ANCESTRAL worship is the age old practice of believing in the spirits of the dead. It is founded on the belief that the dead live on and are able to influence the lives of later generations. These ancestors can assert their powers by blessing or cursing, and their worship is inspired by both respect and fear.
The ancestor cult consists of praying, presenting gifts and offerings. In some cultures, people try to get their ancestors’ advice through oracles before making important decisions.
In Africa, ancestral worship is common practice. The ancestors of the tribe are honoured as spirits who preserve the moral standards of tribal life. They are also regarded as the intermediaries between the living and the divine powers.
Ancestral spirits also play an important role in initiation rites. Among some west-African people, there is a belief that the ancestors reincarnate in their descendants.
In Uganda, different communities carry out ancestral worship in different ways. In Buganda, for example, Lubaale (god) played a key role in the spiritual life of the people as the intermediary between them and the spirit world.
There were different names for different gods, each of whom performed a specific role Mukasa (god of the sea), Ddungu (god of hunting) Kiwanuka and others.
In the olden days, it was a discreet exercise, with myths and mystery. Mention of the word essabo (shrine where people go to worship spirits) evoked fear in anyone and not many people dared stop around such a place.
Over the years, ancestral worship has become a way of life. People openly visit shrines to seek healing power from the spirits. Traditional healers today openly advertise their services to the public on radio and on banners and signposts.
“I do my work in the open. I sit down with my clients and have open discussions with them about their problems,†says Sylvia Namutebi (Mama Fina), a renowned diviner based in Katwe.
The number of shrines has also doubled to match the great demand for services in and outside Kampala. Mama Fina says while she operates only once every week (on Sunday), she attends to over 300 clients.
Dativa Nabukalu owned a shrine in Masaka and was in the business for 10 years. She says she attended to 20 to 30 clients everyday.
Henry Ford Miriima, who has done research on African traditional worship for the last 20 years, sayswhile it is not easy to establish the number of shrines and the people who visit them, there is at least one shrine in every sub-county. So why has the shrine bubble burst?
“People are desperate for quick solutions to the challenges of modern life. This has made big business for the diviners,†says Br. Fr. Anatolius Waswa of Kiteredde Banakalori Brothers. Waswa has also been researching on ancestral worship for over 20 years. He says diviners earn millions of shillings.
Mirima, however, attributes this trend to uncertainty. “The need to keep in-line with their religion, propelling people to go to church and their desire to get quick answers to problems, sending them to the shrines,†he says.
Brother Anatoli says before anyone embarks on ancestral worship, they need to understand the likely consequences.
Mama Fina, however, says for all the scorn, ancestral worship is one of the most important and effective means of seeking divine intervention. “There is nothing as good and as powerful as ancestral worship.
The only problem is that it has been hijacked by unscrupulous people,†she says.