Pagan Religions in Five Minutes - Suzanne Owen
55. Can Witchdoctors and Africana Spiritual Traditions be Regarded as Pagan?
Pagan Religions in Five Minutes - Suzanne Owen
Mary Hearns-Ayodele [+]
California Institute of Integral Studies
Mary Hearns-Ayodele is a prophetess, Africana folk medicine scholar, and doctoral student in philosophy and religion at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). Before coming to CIIS, she completed an MA in culture and spirituality (2004–2006) at Holy Names University. Her research interests include the intergenerational transfer of Africana folk healing practices.
Description
Both “witchdoctor” and “pagan” were terms created by those in dominant religious cultures against demonised “others”. In the African context, a witchdoctor solves problems related to witchcraft, defined as undesirable in the communities they serve. In Africana Spiritual Traditions, each person defines terms for themselves depending on personal practice.