In many African cultures, there is a belief in the close communion of spiritual and the physical realms. This idea of the connection between the natural and the supernatural, the visible and the invisible, and the human and the divine, is maintained in a state of equilibrium through prayer and ritual. These representations of the divine forces on Earth occupy a central place in many African religions. Daniel Laine presents a vivid photographic portrayal of these men and women as they perform exorcisms, dances, and other rituals on a spiritual journey through twelve countries: Nigeria, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Benin, Togo, Guinea, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, Congo, Gabon and Uganda. 192pp, FRANCE . FLAMMARION.

This comparative and historical study focuses on religious aspects of disease etiologies among five, systematically selected, African peoples: the San, Maasai, Sukuma, Kongo and Yoruba. Unlike the homogenizing tendencies of many earlier comparative works by scholars of religion, this book highlights the differences between and the plurality within the religions and cultures of the selected peoples, as well as processes of change. The work covers a period of about 100 years, from the late 19th to the late 20th centuries, and much of the material used comes from European mission archives. To different degrees among the peoples studied, there has been a gradual shift from an emphasis on spiritual beings such as God and ancestors to living humans like 'witches' as agents of disease. 237pp, NETHERLANDS. EJ BRILL.

Second edition. A systematic study of African philosophies and religions that have developed across the continent highlighting the similarities and differences between a variety of religions and thought systems. Also includes a discussion of women in African religions and looks at the potential unity to be found in apparently disparate religions. Index, map, bib, xiv, 288pp, UK. HARCOURT EDUCATION NETQUOTEVAR:HEINEMANN.

Examines the nature of African traditional religion in an effort to determine the common attributes of the religion of the continent, focusing on the West African experience. This study analyzes concepts in traditional religion by isolating key elements in the Yoruba, Dagara, and Ibo cultures. Principal elements isolated include sacrifice, salvation, revelation and divination, as well as resilience in the face of invasions, colonization and various outside religious assaults. The study also considers the influence of Christianity and Islam. Bib, notes, 203pp, USA. McFARLAND & COMPANY.

A textbook for the study of African religions divided into nine chapters including The Supreme Being, Rites and Ritual, Sacred Spaces and Places, Mystical Forces, and African Religion in Today's World. Well illustrated with b/w photographs of masks and religious ceremonies, this text is useful as a thorough introduction to the topic for students and young people. Includes a guide for further reading and text boxes focusing on particular topics. Index, gloss, notes, 144pp, USA. FACTS ON FILE, 081605729X

A wide ranging discussion of the role played by indigenous religions of Africa, the Pacific, Asia and the Americas in today's world. Despite assertions that native religions are fast disappearing, the authors of these essays show the continuing vitality and relevance of indigenous religions to millions of believers worldwide. Index, refs, notes, xvi, 348pp, UK. ROUTLEDGE.

Through ethnographic contexts, the contributors to this volume explore the different perspectives on rituals, social events and political constitutions which are com-monly understood as witchcraft and magic. A range of countries are studied including South Africa, Botswana and the Congo. Illustrated with b/w and colour photo-graphs. Index, bib, notes, 273pp, UK. BERGHAHN BOOKS, 1571814183

A multi disciplinary reference book with comprehensive coverage of the religious movements and churches of sub Saharan Africa, North Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. Includes extracts from source materials and is illustrated with b/w photographs. Index, bib, refs, xx, 452pp, UK. ROUTLEDGE.

A belief in witchcraft as a way of imagining and projecting evil is strong and widespread across the African continent - so much so that many commentators have suggested a significant increase in accusations of witchcraft in Africa in recent years. Alarmingly, a common feature of witchcraft accusation is the lynching or killing of the accused. As a comment on witchcraft beliefs and accusations in contemporary Africa, this study concentrates on witchcraft as an actual threat both to society and the psychology of individuals. Index, 348pp, USA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS.

A wide discussion of different aspects of African religion introducing the reader to the study of Afican religions. Chapters include African Views of the Universe, Rituals and Festivals, The Origin and Early State of Man, and Religious Objects and Places. IIlustrated with b/w photographs. Includes a guide for further reading and study questions. Index, 216pp, UK. HARCOURT EDUCATION NETQUOTEVAR:HEINEMANN, 0435940023

Details the methods used by African shamans and traditional healers to heal bodies and cast out demons. Gloss, bib, 183pp, USA. CESHORE, 1585010391

2003 Paperback

This collection of 11 ethnographic essays sets out new thinking on the continuing impact of 'witchcraft' and the occult in Africa, and its expected clash with modernity. Looks at the range of beliefs witchcraft encompasses and its use in state politics, free markets and legal systems. Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Malawi, Niger, Tanzania and South Africa are the countries studied. Illustrated with b/w photos. Index, notes, bib, 253pp, UK. ROUTLEDGE.

Born in a Dagara village in Burkina Faso and educated in both the European and African modes of religious worship, the author describes his life mediating between cultures and sharing living African spiritual traditions with those who struggle with the contemporary crisis of the spirit. 311pp, USA. PENGUIN BOOKS, 0140194967

Based mainly on experiential research in a range of African societies, the essays in this volume examine the relevance of the occult to a variety of social concepts and contexts. These studies stress three features of the occult in modern Africa: as an explanatory and tactical device, it is resilient; it is malleable, with a capacity to absorb and assimilate new elements; it is flexible and adaptable to emerging situations and novel circumstances. 240pp, GERMANY. LIT VERLAG.

Over twenty essays consider religion, and what it is in Africa. Sections on western and Islamic influences, comparisons over time and space, the instrumentality of religion process and performance. Index, bib, notes, b/w photographs, xvi, 512pp, UK. CURREY PUBLISHERS, JAMES. 0852552076

The Dogon people of Mali, West Africa, are famous for their unique art and advanced cosmology. The Dogon creation story describes how the one true god, Amma, created all the matter of the universe. This book argues that the myths that depict his creative efforts bear a striking resemblance to the modern scientific definitions of matter, beginning with the atom and continuing all the way to the vibrating threads of string theory. Furthermore, many of the Dogon words, symbols and rituals used to describe the structure of matter are quite similar to those found in the myths of ancient Egypt and in the daily rituals of Judaism. 224pp, USA. INNER TRADITIONS BEAR & CO.

Contends that in Africa there exists only one religion with a vast array of denominations. African religion is expressed in a different way by each of the denominations. The term spear master relates to the integrity and ethics that had to accompany the maker and user of the spear in ancient African societies. The essence of religion, this book argues, is the deification of one's society and nation, and making sacred the traditions and rituals of the ordinary lives of the people. 194pp, USA. UNIVERSITY PRESS OF AMERICA.

Selected contents: Fernanda Claudio, Cloth, Hoes, and Beads: Chikunda Domination, the Warlord Kanyemba, and the Chapoto Chieftaincy in Dande, Zimbabwe; Linda Giles, The Role of Spirits in Swahili Coastal Society; Alan Kirkaldy, Vhuloi and Witch-Hunting in Late Nineteenth-Century Vendaland; Beatrice Nicolin; Notes on Magical Practices in Zanzibar and Pemba; Maxwell Owusu and Godfrey N. Uzoigwe, Nanny's Apron Strings: Magic, Medicine, Witchcraft and Warfare in Colonial and Post-Colonial West Africa; Meshack Owino, Vifo Na Mazishi: The Impact of War on Kenya African Soldiers Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Death and Burials in Colonial Kenya; Ana Cristina Roque, Meeting Artur Murimo Mafumo and His Practices; Nathalie Arnold, With Ripe Eyes You Will See: Occult Conflicts in Pembas Days of Caning, Zanzibar 1964-1968; Sophia Beal Terra Sonâmbula: Mythmaking and the Naparama in the Work of Mia Couto; Sam Kasule, Possession, Trance, Ritual and Popular Performance: The Transformation of Theatre in Post Idi Amin Uganda; Terence Ranger, African Religion, Witchcraft, and the Liberation War in Zimbabwe. 406pp, USA. EDWIN MELLEN PRESS.

Mami Water as a phenomenon is an ubiquitous existence in Ewe belief and folkore, yet little about it is documented. Dawuso Dcfe, the Ewe Mami Water Priest known as Abidjan Mami-water, was a remarkable but mysterious man, whose life was dominated by the phenomenon. He died in 2003 and this study of his life has ethnographic importance, particularly to the accommodating character of traditional Ewe and African religion; the outstanding talents of Dawuso, both as a religious figure, and as a man of vision and action; and the richness, complexity and attractiveness of the arts among the Ewe. The book describes all the essential aspects of Dawuso’s life, including his foundation of the Mamiwater Village and shrine at Adome in the Volta Region. He became a traditional healer, diviner and priest; and also used his strategic position in the supernatural sphere to initiate moves which greatly enriched many Ewe artistic traditions, particularly in music, dance, sculpture and painting. A glossary of Ewe terms is provided. Bib, gloss, apps, col illus, 126pp, GHANA. SUB-SAHARAN PUBLISHERS.

Forty-three essays on aspects of West African religions such as its history and development, festivals and symbolism and idea of humanity and God amongst other themes. Index, maps, notes, b/w images, 472pp, KENYA. SEFER BOOKS LTD, 9783464507

1998 1983 DELAY Paperback

Anthropologists, philosophers and sociologists from diverse social and cultural backgrounds discuss the metaphysical properties of 'witchcraft' and 'sorcery' and explore their manifestations in people's lived experiences. Notes, bib, index, viii, 344pp. OHIO U P.

A comprehensive introduction to African theology by focusing on the role of animals in African teaching. The work surveys African approaches to religion, beginning with sub-Saharan Africa, encompassing Judaic, Christian and Islamic beliefs, and concluding with African theology today. It highlights the influence of African theology on all the major religions, including the preserva-tion of Jewish texts and the establishment of Christian traditions such as hermeticism and monasticism. Throughout Ranger demonstrates, through numerous examples, the centrality of the natural world to African faiths. This, she argues, is an aspect sorely lacking in dominant religious traditions, which have tended to treat the natural world as less valuable than humanity and thus more expendable, leading to our current disastrous state in which the existence of animals is put at serious risk. Index, bib, b&w maps & illus, 280pp, UK. JAMES CLARKE AND CO.

A study of the links between religion and political action in Africa. The authors show how African religious beliefs have huge impacts on politics and inform how people understand the world and deal with it. Index, bib, notes, viii, 263pp, UK. HURST, 1850657343

In a rare account of Zulu mysticism, Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa breaks the bonds of traditional silence to share his personal experiences as a sangoma, a Zulu shaman. Set against the backdrop of post colonial South Africa Mutwa relays the first person account of an African healer and reveals the cosmology of the Zulu. Index, notes, b/w illus, xxix, 224pp, USA. DEEP BOOKS LTD, 0892811293