African Spirituality 101 -Book List
We encourage you to form study groups among your family, friends and neighbors.
Maat the 11 laws of God by Ra Un Nefer Amen Description: In Maat, the 11 Laws of God, Ra Un Nefer Amen shares the revelations he has received concerning the laws governing the principles and forces — correlated with the Tree of Life — that influence and govern people's lives. By observing them any spiritually mature person will gain access to wisdom and spiritual power, and thus serve as a vehicle for the manifestation of God in the world.
The Quest For Spiritual Transformation: Introduction to Traditional Akan Religion, Rituals and Practices – by Nana Akua Kyerewaa Opokuwaa Description: Are you searching for a spiritual path that speaks to your cultural identity? Are you curious about the connection of the African-American experience to ancient African culture and spirituality? The Quest for Spiritual Transformation: An Introduction to Traditional Akan Religion, Rituals, and Practices is an important contribution to the exploration of cultural approaches to healing the mind, body, and spirit. Author Nana Opokuwaa clearly illustrates the connection between the traditions and beliefs of Africans born in the Diaspora to the ancient customs of the Akans. Her writing style exhibits a special sensitivity and compassion that shows appreciation for the reader's need for guidance.
The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts by Baba Ifa Karade
Description: In this introductory volume, Baba Ifa Karade provides an easily understandable overview of the Yoruba religion. He describes 16 Orisha and shows us how to work with divination, to use the chakras to internalize the teachings of Yoruba, and describes how to create a sacred place of worship. Includes prayers, dances, songs, offerings, and sacrifices to honor the orisha and egun. Illustrations, charts, glossary, bibliography, and index.
Akan Protocol: Remembering the Traditions of Our Ancestors - by Nana Akua Kyerewaa Opokuwaa Description: This book begins your exploration of the culture and traditions of the Akans of Ghana, West Africa. It introduces the reader to the lifestyle of the traditional Akans living in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, and other West African Countries. Little has been written on the Akan culture and spirituality especially in the style and with the sensitivity of this author. The reader gets a glimpse of the traditional life of the Akan with its protocols, hospitality, and embedded cultural spirituality. This is a user friendly guide to anyone seeking knowledge on the culture and/or spirituality of the Akans.
Metu Neter, Vol. 1: The Great Oracle of Tehuti and the Egyptian System of Spiritual Cultivation by Ra Un Nefer Amen
Description: The oracles of Ancient Black Civilizations aimed to guide individuals and nations in all areas of life. Through them it was possible to discover the spiritual cause and meaning to earthly events. These great oracles prescribed the words of power and other occult forces that can be manipulated by the initiate in order to control the events of his life.
Man, God, And Civilization by John G. Jackson
Description: Drawing from sources of ancient, classic, and contemporary literature, the author shows how European culture was derived from the older civilizations of Africa and Asia.
African Religions & Philosophy by John S. Mbiti
Description: Religions and Philosophy is a systematic study of the attitudes of mind and belief that have evolved in the many societies of Africa. In this second edition, Dr Mbiti has updated his material to include the involvement of women in religion, and the potential unity to be found in what was once thought to be a mass of quite separate religions.
Mbiti adds a new dimension to the understanding of the history, thinking, and life throughout the African continent. Religion is approached from an African point of view but is as accessible to readers who belong to non-African societies as it is to those who have grown up in African nations. Since its first publication, this book has become acknowledged as the standard work in the field of study, and it is essential reading for anyone concerned with African religion, history, philosophy, anthropology or general African studies.
The Teachings of Ptahhotep: The Oldest Book in the World by Ptahhotep, Larry Williams, Asa G. Hilliard III Description: The Maxims of Ptahhotep or Instruction of Ptahhotep is an ancient Egyptian literary composition based on the Vizier Ptahhotep’s wisdom and experiences. The Instructions were composed by the Vizier Ptahhotep, during the rule of King Izezi of the Fifth Dynasty. The text was discovered in Thebes in 1847 by Egyptologist M. Prisse d’Avennes.The Instructions of Ptahhotep are called wisdom literature, specifically under the genre of Instructions that teach something. They are four copies of the Instructions, and the only complete version, Papyrus Prisse, is located in the Bibliothéque Nationale in Paris.(Source: wiki)
Destruction of Black Civilization: Great Issues of a Race From 4500 B.C. To 2000 A.D. by Chancellor Williams
Description: The book was written at a time when many black students, educators, and scholars were starting to piece together the connection between the way their history was taught and the way they were perceived by others and by themselves. They began to question assumptions made about their history and took it upon themselves to create a new body of historical research. The book is premised on the question: ""If the Blacks were among the very first builders of civilization and their land the birthplace of civilization, what has happened to them that has left them since then, at the bottom of world society, precisely what happened? The Destruction of Black Civilization is revelatory and revolutionary because it offers a new approach to the research, teaching, and study of African history by shifting the main focus from the history of Arabs and Europeans in Africa to the Africans themselves.
HISTORICAL FICTION NOVELS:
Two Thousand Seasons by Ayi Kwei Armah
Description: Trans Atlantic and African slave trades are the subject of Armah's Two Thousand Seasons (1973) in which a pluralized communal voice speaks through the history of Africa, its wet and dry seasons, from a period of one thousand years. Arab and European oppressors are portrayed as "predators," "destroyers," and "zombies". The novel is written in allegorical tone, and shifts from autobiographical and realistic details to philosophical pondering, prophesying a new age.Set in the era of European slave raiding wars in Africa, known to Europeans as The Enlightenment, the narrative centers on a group of adolescent friends tricked and sold by an African king to European slavers. On the trans-Atlantic voyage, the group organizes a successful shipboard revolt, then returns to the continent to begin the work of their lives — organizing to end the rule of injustice established by European invaders and their African collaborators.
The Healers by Ayi Kwei Armah
Description: The Healers tells a story of the conflict and regeneration focused on replacing toxic ignorance with the healing knowledge of African unity. This historical novel is set in Ghana. The Healers mixed fact and fiction about the fall of the celebrated Ashanti Empire. The healers in question are traditional medicine practitioners who see fragmentation as the lethal disease of Africa. In late 19th century Africa, it covers a period of great change and destruction in the continent’s history. And yet, its issues and conclusions resonate in 21st century Africa.
"Events in the childhood and early adulthood of Densu, the main protagonist, at are the heart of the novel. The story is set during the colonial period (in Ghana) when the Asante, the Fanti and the Assen regularly fought each other. The Healers is an epic tale of good versus evil, manipulation versus inspiration, creativity versus destruction and unity versus dis-unity. It is Armah’s contention that Africa and its people have lost their way because fragmentation and dis-unity have prevailed. And that the ruling class, Africa’s royals, has colluded with the British to destroy the continent.
It is the role of the healers to help the people find reclaim their days of unity. They must achieve this without resorting to force and without using their special knowledge to manipulate people. This means that the work of the healers will be slow and that it will take decades, perhaps centuries, before the desired unity is achieved." (Review excerpt from: http://kinnareads.com/2010/11/15/the-healers-ayi-kwei-armah/)