Africans venerate their ancestors and believe they are still among them. An ancestor is believed to be in spirit realm but still hangs around to protect his family.
This informs the African idea of 'gods of our forefathers'. They believe the gods they served are still alive and relevant.
This goes on to explain why we find it very hard to detach ourselves from their practices.
Whatever they condemned or regarded as forbidden are still been observed and obeyed in this present day society.
We have many taboos that we don't dare near. These taboos are from communities to communities and families to families.
Taboo is:
A social or religious custom prohibiting or restricting a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place, or thing. Source
This practices of 'don't' still hunt many Africans today.
A cousin of mine started having yellowish scar on her body when she was very little. Before you know it, it started spreading to all of her body.
Someone who noticed it gave it a name and said she must not eat anything melon. It was as if it was a joke but we tried that and stopped given her melon and the spread stopped.
Up till this moment, the yellowish scar didn't spread beyond where it was when we stopped given her melon.
In my own family, there is this believe that we must not eat Okro/okra (ladies' fingers or ochro) soup.
While i don't eat any draw soup at all, my sisters don't even give a sh*t as they eat it at will.
These taboos have made many of us run away from what we would have loved to eat or do.
There is this fear attached to taboos once they enter your ear. You tend to harbour fear in you and stop yourself from nearing them.
I don't know if other taboos are like that of my cousin but many people in Africa have one or two of such taboos.
My question now is, as an African man or woman, do you believe in these taboos? Have you done anything considered as taboo in your family and nothing happened?
Do you think there is a need to still continue this ancient practice or we should just give to Caesar what belong to Caesar?
Kindly drop comments.
