‘Those who are born to suffer, experience suffering to its abysmal depths.’

Why does a person suffer? What brings suffering to a man?

1.Role of fate2.God’s reminder to the mankind3.Because of the sins man has committed4.It is a test for those who are closer to God

• Role of fate overpowering freewill.

• Suffering, a major thematic concern.

• The concept of suffering is an important part of their religion; Christianity.

•We were promised suffering. They were a part of the program. We were told, ‘Blessed are they that mourn’ by C.S. Lewis.

• You must submit to supreme suffering in order to discover the completion of joy.

• Suffering makes you bitter or better?

• It draws you closer to God.

• A person who suffers should have the following qualities:

1. Strong faith in God2. Patience3. Hope4. The power to sacrifice

• The concept of suffering in Christianity and Islam:1.Comparison of Jacob with Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S)

2. An episode taken from the Quran.

• Jacob’s patience compared to our generation’s reaction to suffering.

The complex role of religion in the African Society

• Religion holds great significance for the Africans

• It is the structure around which all the other activities are built

• The African society has strong religious and traditional beliefs

• Religion is life and life is religion

• No written account of African religion• Certain codes of conduct followed by

people and passed on from generation to generation

• It is a mixture of tribal customs and Christian beliefs

• God is considered the Supreme Being • Jacob hears the Voice of God when he

is in misery

• Jacob strongly believes in the presence of God but when he tells his wife about it, she says:

“But who is this lord…there’s nothing we Africans have but the Lord…but no one takes the Lord seriously…He doesn’t come down…”

• This duality in the beliefs and thinking of people makes religion very complex

CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

• Customs and Traditions considered sacred and closely associated with religion

• Religious tradition of marriage and family life: Jacob’s marriages and family life

• Marriage: the only choice for women• The significance of traditional

blessings: people consider Jacob’s blessings rich and meaningful

• Hospitality considered a part of religion: Jacob is very hospitable and always ready to help the poor, sick, widows and orphans

• Religious sacredness in the traditions and the arrangement of the places of worship e.g. Jacob’s hut

• The idea of sharing and belonging between people

• Singing, dancing, music and celebrations hold religious significance as depicted in the story

• Africans celebrate and cherish life• The significance of children in African

religion• All these customs and traditions are

closely linked to their religion

BELIEF IN THE PRESENCE OF SPIRITS

• Africans strongly believe in the existence of spirits

• They form the link between the physical and the spiritual world

• Belief in the life after death • In the story, Lebojang’s spirit comes to warn

people against witchcraft and evil deeds• Death and after-death rituals are also

significant as depicted in the story “Heaven is not Closed”

ETHICS AND MORALITY

• Both African religion and society lay stress on ethical and moral values

• Whatever is considered good in religion is appreciated by the society

• The society discourages the practices forbidden by religion

• Religion forbids immoral actions like witchcraft, theft, adultery, black magic etc.

• Complexity arises because people know what is right and wrong but still indulge in unethical deeds

• Immoral practices of Lebojang and his followers

• “Witchcraft” also depicts the fact that many Africans believe less in God and more in superstition and witchcraft

THE IDEA OF SACRIFICE

• Just like African religion, African society promotes the idea of sacrifice

• Inspired by their religion, the Africans believe that in order to achieve something, one needs to sacrifice worldly needs and the dear ones

• It depicts the role of religion in their society and how closely it is associated with their beliefs and traditions

• Jacob sacrifices his personal and family life to follow the orders of God

• In “Looking for a Rain God” the parents sacrifice their children to get rain

• In “Heaven is not Closed” Galethebege sacrifices her social life and religious beliefs to marry Raloakae

RELIGION AS A MEANS OF EXPLOITATION

• The churches in Botswana “have a bit of glitter and dash. They have funds behind them. They put both God and the Devil on the same altar and nothing happens except an increase in wealth”

• “And which priest would give this permission when it meant losing one of his pay packets…”

• Lebojang makes money by exploiting people in the name of religion

“HEAVEN IS NOT CLOSED”

• The story depicts some aspects of African religion

• The priest tells Galethebege that it was a sin to marry an unbeliever

• “The missionary was the representative of both God and something evil”

• “…a miserable religion which terrified people with the fate of eternal damnation in hell-fire if they were heathens or sinners…”

“WITCHCRAFT”

• Another story that depicts the role of religion

• “The society was both rational and Christian”

• “The accounts for believing in it (witchcraft) were as solid as the reasons people give for believing in God or Jesus Christ”

• The protagonist is a regular church goer• Clash between the Tswana customs and

religion

• African religion is forms the basis of the African society

• It has no strict features and the beliefs vary from tribe to tribe.

• The role of religion is a little complex because each tribe has it’s own beliefs and traditions

• There is no written account of it and it is found in rituals, ceremonies, festivals, myths and legends, beliefs and customs

• African religion defines the life of the Africans

• It is a part of the African Heritage • Bessie Head, being an African herself,

was well-aware of the significance of religion in the African society

• She highlights the essence of African religion in many of her stories

AFRICAN VS PAKISTANI SOCIETY

• Religion holds great significance in both the societies

• Religion as a means of exploitation• Religion as the link between physical

and spiritual worlds• The traditions of marriage, family

life, ethics and morality• The role of rituals and superstitious

beliefs

SOURCES

• www.tigweb.org• www.afrikaworld.net• www.ggoglebooks.com • Introduction to African religion

second edition by John S.Mbiti