What are the Causes of these Movements?

If there is any general common factor it lies in the great social and cultural upheaval consequent upon increasing interaction with the world outside Africa. While this includes the Arab world, the main influence has come from the West and from its Christian religion, first in the exploration and colonial periods, and now in the era of independence, modernisation and develop­ment.

Among the many factors that can be identified there are the stress and rootlessness arising from the great cultural, social and political disturbances, bringing new values and lifestyles, and from particular issues such as employment, marriage, alcohol and, above all, sickness. There is more ill health today in Africa than ever before in its history and the majority of the new religious movements offer some form of spiritual healing. Western medicine is too limited in extent and seems unable to reach the real cause of much African sickness; the Christian churches which first brought Western methods have relied on these and seldom offered spiritual healing. This is now prominent in the independent movements and makes a real contribution to some dimensions of African ill health.

This should be seen as part of the overall search for a spiritual power greater than that of the traditional faiths, and more freely available in relevant forms than through the older Christian churches. There is a further search for independent revelation from God direct to African founders and prophets, and often through visions and dreams. This means that African relations with the divine are no longer tied to Arab or Western channels and forms but have their own identity and status in the sight of God and man.