Punishment

Punishment generally refers to the act or instance of imposing a penalty on a person or group of persons who are in breach of the laws, rules, or customs of a society. In many African communities (despite the existence of modern judiciary institutions), African traditional religion functions as an important source of normative moral behavior and social conduct. It does so mainly through the imposition of taboos or prohibitions and provides sanctions for their infraction, as well as procedures for redemption. Punishable offenses in traditional African communities or societies range from grievous ones, such as the practice of sorcery and witchcraft and murder, to less egregious ones, such as falsely accusing a neighbor of wrongdoing or failing to restrain one's sheep from destroying a neighbor's crops.

In African traditional religious belief, God is considered as the utmost upholder of moral order and justice. He or she therefore wields the ultimate power to punish those who do evil acts, such as harming their fellow human beings or destroying the environment. Among the Akan of Ghana, a person who has been wronged will often say to the offender Onyame betua wo ka (“God will pay you back [bring retribution on you]”), especially when he or she lacks the ability to punish the offender. The Barundi and Banyarwanda people also say in a proverb, “God exercises vengeance in silence.” Mysterious diseases and accidental deaths are sometimes considered evidence of God's punishment.

However, the responsibility of enforcing day-to-day morality through punishment is largely exercised by divinities and ancestors (and other spirits), as well as by human beings. They are believed to do so at the behest of God.

Divinities are essentially spirits believed to have been created by God to take charge of various spheres of life. Each divinity is assigned a specific [Page 547]territory or area of life and performs specific functions. There are therefore divinities for the Earth, the seas, rivers, hills, rocks, and other habitats in the environment. Others control the wind, the rain, and so on. Depending on the nature of the offense committed, a divinity may bring disaster on not only an individual, but also an entire community. The Earth Spirit (known as Asaase Yaa among the Akans, Ani, Ala Ana, or Ale among the Ibos, and Maa-ndoo among the Mendes), for instance, could withhold its fertility and thus bring famine to an entire community if an abomination such as having sex on the bare ground in the bush is committed.

The powers of these divinities and other spirits are sometimes invoked by human beings through the use of the curse. A curse may be pronounced by a chief, a traditional priest, a clan or family head, or any aggrieved person against an unknown offender. In this case, the person seeking justice calls on a particular divinity to bring evil such as sickness, misfortune, or even death on the guilty person.

Ancestors, that is, the spirits of the righteous dead, are also believed to punish the living especially when their death wishes are not carried out. In such cases, the aggrieved ancestor often possesses another person and reveals what should be done to appease him or her.

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