One of the areas of confusion or contention for those that have embraced foreign religions is that ancient Africans worship more than one God and so they can be said to be worshiping false gods. It is really important to correct this notion.
First, the idea of a "false god" is not one to be given much consideration. On what basis will a mortal claim to know what a false god is or what a true god is? The worshipers of the gods are to be left to worship their gods in peace without the need to seek to guilt trip them into converting them. To each his own faith.
The second is the idea of polytheism. This idea was not well articulated in the books of the early missionaries who came to Africa. Unfortunately, their books happen to be the knowledge that majority of the people in the western world got exposed to. It also served as the literature used in schools to teach even African Children. This act has estranged many Africans from their true root.
The idea that African religion worships many gods is one which has to be put in context. The first thing to note is that Africa is a very large continent that plays home to diverse tribes with each tribe having their own tongue and culture. One of the largest original African tribes is the Yoruba people. Their religion is Ifá.
In Ifá, there is only one being who is regarded as GOD, he goes by the name Olódùmarè or Elédùmarè. He is surrounded by a host of Òrìṣàs (Divinities) which he created as Co-administrators of the cosmos and he made them leaders over mortals. He established it so that each mortal will look up to their guardian Òrìṣàs for what they need and the Òrìṣàs will dispense to them (the mortal) what they need according to the Authority that he (Olódùmarè) has given to the Òrìṣàs.
The Òrìṣàs were first sent down from heaven to create the earth and make physical habitation possible, after which the mortals came. The Òrìṣàs existed physically with the mortals and they went back to Ọ̀run (Heaven) when their work was done, leaving their mortal servants to continue the creative work on earth while they guide them from the invisible realm of the heavens.
This is the belief/practice of the Yoruba people that foreigners who are either impatient to develop a full understanding or are on an outright mission to disorganize the people's belief system refer to as Polytheism.
The followers of each Òrìṣà pray through their Òrìṣàs to Olódùmarè for favor, protection, provision and guidance. During their rituals, they sing the praise songs of their Òrìṣàs. The Oríkì (praise songs) could be likened to Psalms that are sung from the depth of the soul of one who knows his Òrìṣà deeply and is grateful for the goodness that his Òrìṣà has delivered to him or her.
The traditional worshipers never refer to their Òrìṣàs as Olódùmarè (God). The concept of a small letter "g" God is a foreign invention. Yorubas have only one God and a host of Òrìṣàs which he set over men as their protectors, guardians, rulers and teachers, while he himself rule over the Òrìṣàs.
In other words, he created the Òrìṣàs to serve him (in ordering the cosmos together with him) and he created the mortals to serve the Òrìṣàs. While the mortals activities are restricted to their time on earth, the activities of the Òrìṣàs cut throughout the entire universe and all its solar systems.
This is the simple explanation of the Yoruba religion. It is not Polytheism. It doesn't recognize many Gods or gods as the foreigners claimed or perceived, it recognizes only ONE God (Olódùmarè) and the Òrìṣàs.
Ire o.
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