Introduction

Abstract

The scholarly study of African traditional and African diaspora religious traditions has generated immense interest within and outside the African continent, involving questions about the nature and scope of African and African-derived religions, as well as their relevance in a global world. In the past, African religion, as an academic discipline, often was apologetic in nature, and scholars who were interested in this field had to grapple with the problem of inadequate literature for study. They, therefore, relied on oral sources with all their attendant limitations.