The Import of Symbolism in African Religious Experience

Abstract

The foundation of all religious rituals worldwide is the concept of symbolism. This is because most belief systems are abstract and depend on symbols to teach their followers the truths that different religions teach. They act as intermediaries between humanity and the divine, giving form to the viable elements of the greater powers. There are symbols in many other faiths. Symbols can be concrete, verbal, or expressive actions. A symbol refers to something; it does not point to itself as a thing. The problem is not just that most symbols have complicated meanings, but that their functions and the understanding of the nature of these symbols vary uniquely in different religions. This paper explores the need to enhance meanings that are vaguely discerned in daily life and to clarify the nuances of the impact of symbols in African religious practice. Hence, it is the opinion of this paper that symbolism is an important source of the affective power of African religious experience. It restores valuable meanings through which a code of conduct is created within African religious practice. It helps to bring African religion down to earth by using different physical things to symbolize the tradition of African religion. The activities of African religion can only be effectively facilitated and complemented by symbolism. This research adopted hermeneutic and analytic methods in exposing the roles and importance of symbols in the African religious experience. The data collected were based on the library research method.