African Diaspora Religions

As many as 10 million Africans were transported from West and Central Africa to the Americas and the islands of the Caribbean between the 16th and 19th centuries, creating one of the largest and most jarring events of forced population change in global history. This Atlantic slave trade involved their removal from familiar customs and practices, and separation from families and communities. As a result of this diaspora, Africans were scattered and dispersed around the world. Yet they often managed to retain both traditions and identities in their new environments. As a result, important elements of African cultures—including religions, languages, and folklore—survived the traumatic dislocation, serving as crucial links to their past lives.

In this entry, the term African diaspora religions (ADRs) refers to various African-based religions relocated to the Americas as a consequence of Africans' enslavement. ADRs highlight religious traditions originally from Africa which not only were able to survive cultural and ideological assault but also proved to be robust enough to provide spiritual resources for people whose identities were rooted in African cosmologies. ADRs are both urban and rural phenomena, emerging and developing as a direct result of the existential impacts of slavery and the associated belittling of African spirituality in the Americas.

ADRs can be grouped into various types. First, there are the neo-African religions—including Candomblé in Brazil; Santería in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico; and Vodun (Voodoo) in Haiti. Despite differences, they draw on similar ideas and concepts, often borrowing practices from Catholicism that reminded adherents of religious themes already encountered in Africa. The second type is ADRs influenced by Protestant missionary activity. Examples include Cumina and the Convince cult in Jamaica, the Big Drum Dance of Carriacou (Grenada), and St. Lucia's Kele. Third, there are ADRs influenced by Pentecostal groups from the United States, especially found in Jamaica. A fourth type of ADR includes religions that emphasize divination, healing, and spirit mediumship. Examples include Umbanda in Brazil, the Maria Lionza cult in Venezuela, and Puerto Rico's Espiritismo. The final type of ADR examined here is Rastafarianism, found primarily in Jamaica, a religion with a pronounced sociopolitical agenda.