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AFRICAN MYTHOLOGY
 African
mythology covers a large area. There are so many countries,
regions, languages, tribes, cultures and imperialist
crossovers that the sheer diversity of prevailing Gods would
seem overwhelming if there weren't a few handy shortcuts.
Traditional African belief is overwhelmingly monotheistic.
There may be spirits and ancestors floating around, but
there's only one God. Early missionaries made a complete pig's
ear of their research in this respect and seem to have
delighted in cataloging as many 'heathen' Gods as they could
possibly get away with.
African Creator Gods seem to follow a distinctive
pattern - they are all extremely dissatisfied with their
creations. There is much shaking of heads, turning away in
sorrow and avoidance of contact. The humans are left to fend
for themselves. Attempts to regain contact with their God by
building a heavenly ladder are the subject of many an unhappy
legend. On the whole, African Gods don't like to be pestered,
and humans have to learn to be content with their lot.
But while God sits in Heaven wringing his hands in despair,
the ancestral spirits are very willing to take an active part
in Earthly life. These are mostly into hunting and other
practical subjects - with food, sex and booze as popular as
always.
There is a remarkable innocence about the Gods of Africa. They
seem naive and unworldly, believing the best of everyone and
optimistically giving the benefit of the doubt to all and
sundry. No wonder they are rudely disappointed when it turns
out their badly-chosen favorites are up to no good.
Even communicating with their creation is full of problems.
Vital messages of life and death are entrusted to whichever
farmyard animal happens to be passing, and the resulting
garble is likely to have profoundly unforeseen - and usually
disastrous - consequences...
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