The Afro-Caribbean culture by its very nature is very expressive, tropical and some say perhaps even carnival-like. There is a great emphasis on food, music, colours and festivals with most of these features rooted in African tradition and religions.

Religion: In traditional Afro-Caribbean religions there is a belief in a supreme God, but there is faith in spirits and the mysticism of sacred rites and texts. There is no real dichotomy between life and religion as religion enfolds the whole of life. Older members and ancestors in the community mediate between Man and God.

This is encompassed in the wide-ranging ritual sphere where there are various rites and sacrifices made to God for health, happiness, wealth, birth, life and even death. It is a culture and tradition which holds the elderly in great esteem, and their wisdom is almost prophetic, handed down through stories, hymns, poems, proverbs, riddles and even art. The family is at the heart of the community and religion is almost based around the relationships formed between husband and wife, parents and children, siblings and so forth. Afro-Caribbean religions fall into four main groups – Ifa, Rastafarianism, Santeria and Voodoo.

Ifa:
This is a religion based firmly upon the teachings of Olodumare (the Ifa God) and is seen to be the sum total of knowledge, the wisdom of the ancients and the sum total of existence. Divination is one of the most important aspects of Ifa and there are two instruments with which to practice it – the Opele (a chain separated by 8 small disks) and the table of Ifa. Interestingly women have seniority over men, except those men who have made Ifa their calling.

Rastafarianism:
Like many of the Afro-Caribbean religions, this is just as much a way of life as it is a religious faith and was embraced initially by the poorer Black population of Jamaica. Rastafarians believe that many parts of the Bible have been changed by the White man and speak out against their oppression as a result of this. They believe that H.I.M. Selassie, also known as Ras Tafari (who was the emperor of Ethiopia) is the God for those of African descent. Rastafarians believe that true Rastas are immortal, and disbelieved reports of Selassie dying to such an extent that they believe that his atoms have been spread throughout the world and become part of newborn babies so that he lives on by virtue of reincarnation.

The Rastafarian God is called Jah and they hold no faith in an afterlife, instead believing that Ethiopia is their heaven on earth. Many drugs including Ganja (Marijuana), dope, pot, reefer, hemp, bud and cannabis are used for religious and spiritual purposes – most notably during the Nyabingi celebration. Most Rastafarians are vegetarians and those that do eat meat are prohibited from eating pork. It-al food can only be consumed, that is food that is free of chemicals and preservatives and is in its most natural form. The Rastafarian symbol is the use of colours: Black represents the colour of Africans, green symbolizes the beauty and vegetation of Ethiopia and yellow is sometimes added to represent wealth. The infamous dreadlocks also hold religious significance.

Santeria:
This is a syncretistic religion of Caribbean origin that combines the Gods, Goddesses, and the beliefs of Yoruba and Bantu people in Southern Nigeria, Senegal and the Guinea Coast with beliefs from Roman Catholicism. Its dates back to the slave trade when natives were forcibly taken from Africa to the Caribbean and forced to adopt Catholic beliefs. The many Deities, ritual sacrifices and the veneration of ancestors is the main feature of the faith.

Voodoo: This originates from the Yoruba people of West Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the word Voodoo can be defined as ‘spirit’. Today there are over 60 million people practicing Voodoo worldwide. It first caught the imagination of the western world in 1884 when western descriptions hailing from Africa included lurid descriptions of human sacrifice and cannibalism. It is a religion that has many sects and different spiritual paths, much like Christianity.

It also has a number of beliefs comparable to Roman Catholicism – belief in a Supreme Being, an afterlife, the consumption of flesh and blood at the centre of their ceremony, and both believe in the existence of evil spirits and demons. Rituals include offerings and sacrifices to the Gods in order to gain their help and can involve sorcery.