BEN KINGSLEY: The dramatic and oral aspects of African traditional culture were seen more prominently in nonreligious institutions such as African-American art, music, theater, literature, cinema, and radical political organizations. Distinctive elements of African traditional religions do appear among African-American Catholics and also among devotees of neo-traditional Afro-Caribbean and afro-Brazilian religious cults. But the numbers in such groups are small, and they are outside the mainstream of African-American religious practice.

Traditional African religions provide valuable insights for our understanding of human civilizations. They are living reminders of the ancient, tribal, and ancestral origins of most so-called great religions.

The history of African and African-American religion is a story of syncretism and conversion. The fact that traditional African religious beliefs have survived suggests that these beliefs continue to be vital sources of religious and moral meaning, both in post-colonial Africa and in the Americas.

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