African Religio-Cultural Heritage of ‘Charms and Amulets’

Abstract

This article investigates the increase in the usage of ‘symbolic ritual wrist bands’ as symbols of power, protection, and healing in neo-Pentecostals seen as resonating with the religio-cultural practice of ritual bands in African primal religions. The study demonstrates that such practices indirectly satisfy the deep yearning of traditional communities who maintain a strong feeling of the versatility of symbolic ritual bands. The fact that most Africans remain deeply ingrained in their religio-cultural environment where it is believed that ritual bands attended to their spiritual and physical needs, the usage of symbolic wrist bands in most neo-Pentecostal churches is seen as bridging the gap created by missionary Christianity. This study employs the missio-cultural theory to explore the extent to which neo-Pentecostals are reconceptualising the idea of ritual wrist bands in the practice of African Christianity. It concludes that the neo-Pentecostal proliferation of wrist bands is relevant in the spiritual, psychological, social, cultural and theological missionising effort in Africa.