Who Made Demons of my African Gods?
I can rattle of the Greek and Roman Pantheon of gods, and list half a dozen of their mythical heroes, but I had to wait until I was thirty-four to know that many nations of Africa have their very own catalogue of gods, heroes, myths and legends just as fierce and awesome as Zeus and Aries.
I’ve read the stories of Thor and Odin and I’ve marveled at the woman warriors of the Valkyrie. I’ve imagined the bloody carnage of Valhalla, but it was only last week that I read about Shango — the Yurobaland god of Thunder and War.
I can recite the stories of Artimes and her bow but it was only two days ago that I learned about, Khonvoum — the Congolese god of the Hunt that wields a bow made from two snakes that to human eyes look like a rainbow — how dope is that!
Since I was a child I was encouraged to study and enjoy white mythology, but black myths and legends were deemed evil, akin to witchcraft and best to be forgotten. Who decided that the gods of Olympus and Asgard were worthy of being studied, celebrated, franchised, retold in film and comics, but that the gods of Africa were just inconsequential, evil — black?
You see, I wasn’t required to believe in Apollo or Loki to learn about them and value the history, people and culture of the peoples who believed in them. The power of their stories were the lessons of life and morality, and love and purpose that they held. I don’t have to believe in the 1700 African Orishas spirits or in Oya, the river goddess of Niger, to be enthralled by the richness of culture and the wonder of their stories.
The past five days of reading and learning has teleported me back thousands of years in African history, and through these myths and legends I’ve caught a glimpse of how my people saw the world and made sense of creation. I’ve seen mothers using gods of myth to teach their children right from wrong, and stories of forest demons to keep them from straying too far from home. I’ve marveled at their creativity, their imagination and spirituality. None of these stories have taken away from my faith in God or my Christianity.
Racism doesn’t just hate or kill, it uses systems and propaganda to strip away at the many layers of history, culture, tradition, sacred practices, religion and stories held dear by people of colour. Racism dehumanises and demonises the history and cultures of the so-called lesser races, all so one race can reign supreme, instead of embracing it all so the Human Race can reign supreme.
You see, I’ll tell my two-year-old son about Hercules and Poseidon and we’ll read about Thor and Hiemdall because those stories are brilliant. I will also tell him stories of the Ferdowsi, The Dreaming, The Great Mystery, The Kojiki, Ramayana and stories from all over the world.
Most importantly, I will tell my son stories about Arebati — the Congolese Sky Father who created all peoples from clay to be heroes and warriors. I will tell him about Mboya, the Bantu goddess of Motherhood who teaches love and wisdom and about Hathor and Horus, so he can grow up knowing that people like him rule the mythical skies and are heroes and Legends just like Thor and Venus.
