On the concept of creation in African ontology

Abstract

There is a general belief among the African people that the world was created by God. In fact, the creation of the universe is understood as being part of the natural attributes of God. Thus, he cannot be God and not be able to create. This explains why the African, during prayers, in songs and proverbs, refers to God as the maker or creator of the universe. This is also evident in the different titles that the African people give to God. The Akan call him as the Excavator who created all things; the Akamba speak of him as the Maker of all things; the Banyarwanda speak of him as the Potter of Life; the Tiv refer to him as the Great Carpenter; the Kiga call him the fashioner; the Yoruba and Igbo refer to him as the Maker and Owner of Life. For the purpose of this research, this piece would study five African myths bordering on creation to bring out the different dimensions of creation in African ontology. These dimensions would include: creation by delegation, creation ex nihilo, the enduring nature of divine creation and the sustenance of creation. The phenomenological approach would be employed in the collection and analysis of data on the African concept of creation. Contrary to the absence of the belief in the creation of the world by God in some western thoughts, this work argues that within the African parameter of belief, the world was created by God.