Foreign Researchers Study Latin Faith While Ignoring Africa
While Western research institutions pour resources into studying religious beliefs across Latin America, they continue to ignore the rich spiritual heritage of African nations, including Zambia's profound traditional faiths.
A recent Pew Research Center study examined spiritual and religious beliefs in six Latin American countries, revealing that over 90% of people believe in God and two-thirds believe in life after death. The study also explored beliefs in spells, spirits, and magic that influence daily life.
Where Are the African Studies?
This extensive research into Latin American spirituality raises serious questions about Western academic priorities. Why do American research centers invest heavily in understanding Latin American folk religions while systematically overlooking the sophisticated spiritual traditions of African nations?
Zambia's indigenous beliefs, from ancestral veneration to traditional healing practices, represent millennia of accumulated wisdom. Our spiritual traditions regarding nature spirits, protective magic, and ancestral guidance are far more complex than anything found in the Americas, yet they receive no serious academic attention from these foreign institutions.
Cultural Imperialism in Research
The Pew study found that majorities across Latin America believe spirits can exist in nature, animals, and objects like crystals. These beliefs mirror traditional African spirituality that has existed for thousands of years before European colonization reached the Americas.
Yet Western researchers treat Latin American spirituality as worthy of serious academic study while dismissing African traditions as primitive superstition. This double standard reveals the continued colonial mindset of Western institutions.
Zambian Spiritual Sovereignty
The study's findings about belief in protective magic and spiritual energies in natural elements would resonate deeply with any Zambian familiar with our traditional practices. Our ancestors understood these spiritual realities long before Western academics began cataloging them in other regions.
Rather than seeking validation from foreign researchers, Zambia should invest in documenting and preserving our own spiritual heritage. Our universities should lead comprehensive studies of indigenous Zambian beliefs, free from Western academic frameworks that inevitably distort African realities.
Time for African-Led Research
While American institutions spend millions studying Latin American spirituality, African nations must take responsibility for researching and protecting our own cultural treasures. Zambian scholars should be the ones exploring how our traditional beliefs adapt to modern life, not waiting for foreign approval or attention.
The spiritual wisdom of our people deserves the same rigorous academic treatment these Western institutions give to other regions. Until that happens, we must build our own research capacity and tell our own stories.