Pharos Journal of Theology ISSN 2414-3324 online Volume 98 - (2017) Copyright: ©2017 Open Access- Online @ http//: www.pharosjot.com 1 Imperialism and its effects on the African Traditional Religion: Towards the liberty of African Spirituality Joel Mokhoathi University of the Free State Faculty of Theology and Religion, Department of Religion Studies Email address: Mokhoathij@ufs.ac.za Abstract This paper argues that the juxtaposition of the African Traditional Religion (ATR) with Ibramic faiths tends to deprive the African Traditional Religion its true status as an independent religion, and thus, the process appears to be a product of imperialism, which imposed racial bigotries and effected theories that conveyed socio-cultural and religious inequalities in Africa. Besides in this paradigm, even though imperialism has ended, its effects are still evident in the representation of the African Traditional Religion by non- practitioners, as they work to undermine the religion. It is undoubtedly desirable that religion and spirituality be used to generate greater understanding and harmony between peoples, rather than be used as a tool to divide people as was sadly the case in the past. Thus it becomes critical to allow ATR to recover its rightful place amongst the faiths on the continent. Key words: Imperialism, Christianity, African Tradition Religion, African Spirituality, Early Missionaries. Introduction The foremost faiths practiced in South Africa and to a extent, in the remainder of the continent, are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, African Traditional Religion (ATR) and Judaism. ATR is very popular and arrived with the migration of "traditional" groups of people from West and Central Africa almost 1500 years’ ago. Most of these migrants were Bantu -speaking people who were the ancestors of especially the Nguni groups such as the Zulu and Xhosa. ATR has incorporated combined elements of mainly Christianity and also Islam to a lesser extent. Essentially, ATR has been passed down through the ages on from parents to children through oral tradition and thus stories, myths, legends and accounts. There is an animated debate on the status of the African Traditional Religion (ATR) within the religious dome in Africa. A number of African scholars feel that the ATR has not yet received its appropriate place in the religious world (Magesa, 1997:28; Sarpong, 2006:1; Quarcoopome, 1987:12-13). Scholars like Nokuzola Mndende have been vocal in this regard. Like many other African scholars, Mndende argues that “[t]he lip-service paid to religious freedom and religious equality leaves much to be desired as ‘freedom’ and ‘equality’ are still based on racial prejudices regarding the concept of spirituality in Africa” (Mdende, 2009:1). The indigenous people, in line with this argument, are still denied their true spirituality, which they only get to experience in part when they profess allegiance to Ibramic faiths (Mndende, 2009:1; Onuzulike, 2008:163). Within this modus, the spirituality of indigenous people is either juxtaposed with Christian or Islamic dogmas (Onuzulike, 2008:163). The collocation of the ATR with Ibramic faiths such as Christianity or Islam tends to deprive the ATR its true status as an independent