African Gods Vs European Gods

A History of Mankind (128)

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Over time, most African religions developed a belief in a supreme being, a Zeus-like figure above the living as well as lesser gods, spirits, deified heroes and ancestors walking beside the living, although in many cases this was likely due to the slow seeping of monotheistic influence over the centuries.

This supreme being is often worshiped as creator of the world, through various myths associated with specific landscapes and situations¹. Regardless, this being – like Zeus – is not omnipotent, may even be mortal² and in any case needs to enlist their help to get things done; he’s also often trumped by the powers of other gods, who have their own agendas, incomprehensible for mere humans.

The myth of Ananse/Anansi, the trickster spider, is among the best-known in West Africa and even among American communities of African descent. Stories about Ananse attribute him great skill and ingenuity to him, and also a bad temper that humans can take advantage of: so, in one tale Ananse tries to take back the wisdom he has distributed in the world by storing it in a large pot; but, when he is challenged by his son Ntikuma, Ananse angrily allows the pot to fall from the top of a tree, and human beings are able to gather wisdom back again.

This state of affairs made the transition from magician to chief easier, and more common, in Sub-Saharan Africa than it had been elsewhere. At a time where there was no real separation between worship and power anywhere, the two concepts were most strongly joined together than in any other continent: that explains why, for example, the Mbugwe Bantu of modern Tanzania hold it that they were originally ruled as a republic, which became a kingdom as sorcerers took control³.