In Ivory Coast, the main religions that are practiced are
Islam and Christianity. 38.6% of the population practices Islam, 32.6%
practices Christianity, 16.7% is irreligious, and 11.9% follows Traditional
African religion or other religions. [1]
“According to most local belief systems, spiritual beings—a creator,
ancestral spirits, and spirits associated with places and objects—can influence
a person’s life and luck.” [2]
Ancestral spirits are important, especially in the northern religions, “because
it is believed that they can directly influence an individual’s fortunes in
this life. The cosmology of the Mande peoples of the northwest is described in
their myth of origin, variants of which are retold throughout the region. The myth
recounts God’s creation of the universe and of four sets of twins from seeds. They
were commanded to populate the earth and teach their offspring how to grow
crops.”[3]
Most people in Ivory Coast that practice Islam, are Sunni
Muslims. They follow the Maliki version of Islamic law.[4]
“The significant religious authority is the marabout. He is believed to be a
miracle worker, a physician, and a mystic, who exercises both magical and moral
authority.”[5]
“About one-eighth of the population was Christian in the
1980s; more recent estimates put the proportion of Christians at about 32.6% of
the population.”[6] It
is mostly practiced by people in the middle class and in urban centers of the
south. Most prevalent among the Agni in the southeast, and least among the
Mande of the northwest. Roman Catholicism is the largest Christian religion
practiced there.[7]
Islam and Christianity have been adapted to many of the indigenous
religions in Ivory Coast. “Most widely recognized among these syncretic
religions are numerous offshoots of Harrism along the coast, where new
prophets, preachers, and disciples blend traditional beliefs, Harrism, and
modern-day political advice to help deal with the problems of everyday life.”[8]
Syncretic religions are more common among minorities. There are instances where
a group of people are practicing Christianity, but the neighboring group of people
is practicing a syncretic religion.[9]
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