Shrines

Shrine is a word of Latin origin, which means a box used to contain a precious or sacred object of worship or veneration. The term is generally expanded to include buildings and places such as churches, temples, mosques, and cathedrals. The African cos-mological concept of a shrine is much more expansive. Thus, it could include animate and inanimate objects such as a river, building, rock, lake, mountain, or tree. African cosmology suggests that a shrine would not merely be a means of containment for some sacred or precious object or deity but comprises the essence of that which the African deems divine and worthy of worship and veneration. Because Africans conceptualize the universe and its entities as a composite whole, it is difficult to separate ...