Submitted by Jaqueline Vilas Boas Talga (jtalga@yahoo.com.br) on 2018-11-14T13:16:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Jaqueline Vilas Boas Talga_Linhagens em movimento_reflexões a partir das culturas iorubas.pdf: 5584361 bytes, checksum: 9d6226c92bd0fecd707d6fe6b4a32b4d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Milena Maria Rodrigues null (milena@fclar.unesp.br) on 2018-11-21T18:51:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 talga_jvb_dr_arafcl.pdf: 5584361 bytes, checksum: 9d6226c92bd0fecd707d6fe6b4a32b4d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-21T18:51:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 talga_jvb_dr_arafcl.pdf: 5584361 bytes, checksum: 9d6226c92bd0fecd707d6fe6b4a32b4d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-09-19 / Este trabalho tem por propósito apreender e discutir as concepções e práticas dos movimentos de adeptos e sacerdotes dos cultos ancestrais iorubas, entre o Golfo de Benin e o Brasil. Trata-se de um relato etnográfico focado nos movimentos atuais, cuja notável recorrência, inscrita em sucessivas trajetórias de vida, conduz ao questionamento de sua profundidade temporal, como de sua própria inteligibilidade na tessitura de laços linhageiros. A partir do cotejamento de esparsas referências disponíveis a trajetórias de vida que remontam à constituição de cidades estados em território ioruba em África e terreiros de Cambomblés no Brasil, ainda à vigência do regime escravagista, distinguimos uma parcela de africanos livres, libertos e seus descendentes que forjaram, ora por vontade, ora por imposições, as movimentações de retorno ao continente africano, ou mesmo, de contínuas viagens dos dois lados do oceano Atlântico. Consideramos a seguir, de modo particular, dentre os retornados e os viajantes, os que irão formar redes sociorreligiosas de transeuntes, e redes sociorreligiosas de matrimônios transatlânticos. Já no início do século XX passamos a notar nas movimentações estabelecidas por simpatizantes, iniciados ou não no culto dos Orixás, a participação destacada de intelectuais e artistas que passam a intermediar trocas entre adeptos dos dois lados do Atlântico. No período mais recente das movimentações, percebemos novas nuances incidentes nas motivações para a travessia do Atlântico Sul, dentre elas algumas promovidas pelos desdobramentos não esperados de convênios bilaterais entre Brasil e Nigéria, e de modo especial, as incitadas pelo movimento de africanização dos cultos brasileiros que reacende a busca direta dos ritos dirigidos por sacerdotes iorubas nigerianos, tanto no Brasil como em África / The purpose of this work is to apprehend and discuss the conceptions and practices of movements made by addherents, religious people of Ifá between the Benins Gulf and Brazil. It is an ethnographic study focused on current movents, which are frequently reveiling life trajectories and it leads to the question of temporal deepness of the lineages. It departs from the scattered literature available and from the life trajectories that resembles to the constitution of State cities in ioruba territory in Africa and Camdomblés terreiros in Brasil. We distinguish different groups, such as free Africans, former-saves and their descendents who constructed the movements of return to the African continent, connenting the both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In the most recent period of the movements, we noticed new characteristics in the motivs for the journey, among them some promoted by unexpected consequences of the official bilateral projects between Brazil and Nigeria. Specially, we emphacize the movement of the Africanization of Brazilian worships that pushes the direct search for rituals led by Nigerian iorubas both in Brazil and in Africa.

Submitted by Suelen Reis (suziy.ellen@gmail.com) on 2013-04-17T18:03:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Dowyvan Gasparseg.pdf: 3128485 bytes, checksum: e0bb166571e4dccacbbd7f1599f3052b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Meirelles(rodrigomei@ufba.br) on 2013-05-24T11:36:18Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Dowyvan Gasparseg.pdf: 3128485 bytes, checksum: e0bb166571e4dccacbbd7f1599f3052b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-05-24T11:36:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Dowyvan Gasparseg.pdf: 3128485 bytes, checksum: e0bb166571e4dccacbbd7f1599f3052b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Este trabalho visa compreender a presença e métodos de ação da Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus em Maputo, Moçambique. Destaca-se sua história em contexto marcado por uma pluralidade étnico/religiosa, aspectos teológicos e sobretudo a aproximação entre a “Economia e a Religião”, operada pela IURD, sustentada na chamada “Teologia da Prosperidade”. A dissertação procura, de um lado, relacionar o perfil social dos crentes com sua atuação indicando métodos de proselitismo e arrecadação de recursos financeiros, e de outro, a busca de prosperidade financeira ainda nesta vida. / Salvador

Vertebrates show dramatic interspecific variation in the size of their brains. The complexity of brains is considered to be the key factor of evolutionary success in Vertebrates, and therefore an evolutionary trend towards increasing brain size and coplexity is assumed. Large and complex brains evolved independently in birds and mammals. Birds have brains that are comparable in their relative size to the brains of mammals. However, in stark contrast to mammals, there is no general trend towards increase of brain size in birds. Relatively large brains have evolved independently in many avian lineages. Highly encephalised orders are parrots (Psittaciformes), woodpeckers and relatives (Piciformes), hornbills, hoopoe and wood hoopoes (Bucerotiformes), owls (Strigiformes), storks (Ciconiiformes) and several families of songbirds (Passeriformes), mainly bowerbirds (Ptilorhynchidae) and corvids (Corvidae). Otherhighlyencephalizedgroupsarenon-parasiticcuckoos(genusCentropus,Phaenicophaeus and Coua) and family Diomeidea and genus Pelecanus belonging to the clade water birds. Less encephalized groups include the basal lineages such as paleognaths and fowl (Galloanserae), and also pigeons (Columbiformes) and swifts, treeswifts and hummingbirds (Apodiformes). We suggest that this mosaic evolution is result of...

The assemblage of ca. 6–4 Ma volcanic rocks exposed at the Sagehen Research station in the Truckee-Tahoe region of the northern Sierra Nevada, United States, is interpreted to be, within the Ancestral Cascades volcanic arc, a Lassen-type stratovolcano complex. Sagehen is of particular importance because it is one of the few Tertiary arc volcanic centres in California which has not been heavily glaciated during the Pleistocene. The volcanic rocks are variably porphyritic or aphanitic, including abundant plagioclase with clinopyroxene and amphibole. The rocks range from basalt to basaltic-andesite to andesite in composition. Basalts are olivineand clinopyroxene-bearing with minor phenocrysts of plagioclase. The basaltic-andesites are primarily pyroxene bearing while the andesites contain pyroxene-, plagioclase- and hornblende porphyritic phases. Sagehen arc lavas are calc-alkaline and enriched in the large ion lithophile elements and depleted in High Field Strength Elements. The basalts are depleted in Zr and Hf while the andesites are enriched with Zr and Hf relative to the middle rare earth elements. Compared to previously studied Ancestral Cascade arc samples, Sagehen region basalts have lower 143Nd/144Nd isotopic values that do not correspond to proposed mantle-lithosphere mixing lines, while the andesite samples appear to represent the interplay of these two components on a 87Sr/86Sr vs. 143Nd/144Nd. The trace element data and isotopic plots suggest that the melts that produced the basalts are from subduction modified mantle wedge peridotites that ponded near the base of the lithosphere similar to the generation of other subduction related calc-alkaline lavas along convergent continental margins. The andesitic samples appear to be the result of further modification through crustal assimilation as seen in the higher isotopic Sr contents in the andesites and Ce/Smpmn vs. Tb/Ybpmn plots. Finally, the proposed map units from Sylvester & Raines (2007) were found to contain various geochemical facies based on the samples collected indicating that some map units may have to be redefined or sub-divided.

O mecanismo de divisão mais comum entre procariotos é a divisão binária, na qual a célula- mãe reparte seu genoma e conteúdo citoplasmático de forma igual entre duas células filhas. Esse processo é mediado por um complexo protéico especializado, chamado divisoma, composto por cerca de 20 proteínas, que promovem a constrição da parede celular e membrana citoplasmática, formando o septo de divisão. O complexo é organizado em torno do anel Z, uma estrutura em anel composta pela proteína FtsZ, um homólogo de tubulina presente na maioria dos procariotos e em algumas organelas de eucariotos. Partindo de um levantamento detalhado da distribuição dos genes do divisoma em genomas completos de procariotos, aplicamos métodos de máxima verossimilhança para inferência de estados ancestrais e reconstruímos o conteúdo gênico do divisoma no ultimo ancestral comum das bactérias atuais. Estendendo essas análises com a aplicação de métodos filogenéticos, inferimos os eventos responsáveis pelas variações de composição deste complexo, observadas entre os diferentes grupos de bactérias. Nossos resultados mostram que o último ancestral comum de todas as bactérias já possuía a maior parte dos componentes conhecidos do divisoma, sugerindo a existência de uma parede de peptideoglicano e a presença de um aparato molecular tão ou mais complexo que o observado nas linhagens atuais, incluindo a presença de componentes considerados acessórios e de distribuição relativamente restrita, como as proteínas envolvidas na localização do anel Z (sistema Min) e alguns efetores positivos da polimerização de FtsZ. Observamos também que a evolução do complexo não foi muito afetada por eventos de transferência lateral, mas apresenta vários exemplos de perda de genes, em especial em linhagens com genoma reduzido, o que sugere a redundância de vários componentes já presentes no ancestral e a freqüente redução da complexidade, pelo menos dos componentes centrais do divisoma. Episódios de expansão de famílias de componentes do divisoma em linhagens específicas e os mecanismos evolutivos responsáveis pela incorporação de tais variações são discutidos. A caracterização da história evolutiva detalhada do divisoma, aqui apresentada, poderá servir como ponto de partida para novas análises evolutivas e como base para elaboração de experimentos funcionais. / The most common cell division mechanism among prokaryotes is binary fission, where a mother cell partitions its cytoplasm and genome equally among two daughter cells. This process is mediated by a specialized protein complex, known as the divisome, composed of around 20 proteíns, that promotes constriction of the cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane, thus forming the division septa. The complex is organized around the Z-ring, a ring-shaped struture composed by FtsZ, a tubulin homolog present in most prokaryotes and some eukaryotic organelles. After a detailed revision of the distribution of divisome genes among completely sequenced prokaryotic genomes, we applied maximum likelihood methods for the inference of ancestral states and reconstructed the gene content of the divisome in the last common ancestor of all extant bacteria. We then performed phylogeneticanalysis of all cell division genes and inferred the series of events responsible for the observed variations of the complex´s composition among bactérial lineages and their common ancestor. Our results show that the last common ancestor of all bacteria already possessed most of the known divisome components, thus suggesting the existence of a peptidoglycan cell wall and the presence of a molecular apparatus, perhaps more complex than those found in extant bacteria, including the presence of some accessory components with a somewhat restricted distribution, like the proteíns involved in the localization of the Z-ring (Min sistem) and some positive effectors os FtsZ polimerization. We also observed that the complex´s evolution was almost never the subject of horizontasl gene transfer events, but shows several examples of gene loss, specially in lineages displaying clear signs of genome reduction, thus suggesting the redundancy of several components in the ancestral divisome and a certain degree complexity reduction, at least for core components of the divisome. Lineage specific expansion of divisome component and the evolutionary mechanisms behind such processes are discussed. This characterization of the detailed evolutionary history of the divisome might serve as a starting point for new evolutionary analysis and as a basis for the design of functional experiments.

A relatively unexplored phenomena of the Nordic Bronze Age is the occurrence where monumental cult houses of stone foundation are discontinued, instead smaller cult houses are constructed in wood. This change occurred during the middle of the Bronze Age, a time werethe Nordic society experienced extensive contact and trade with cultures on mainland Europe. Cult houses were misunderstood for the majority of the 20th Century and it was not until recent they were acknowledged, and this shift noticed. This paper will examine the mentioned change in cult houses with the hypothesis that they were of symbolic importance and use of the elites. It will be discussed whether the cult houses form is attached to the elites display of power and is dependent on a grander ideology in how the elites legitimize their privileged position in society. In essence the paper aims to investigate the two types of cult houses and see to what extent they can be derived to underlying institutions, set up by the elite as a strategy to stay in power.

[ES] La Animación como Arte alquímico y práctica contemplativa mindfulness, es un potenciador de la transformación del "ser" y su consciencia, desarrollando la comunicación consciente y la autorregulación hacia el bienestar. A través del proceso creativo y alquímico de las películas animadas, se puede cultivar la atención plena y una visión holística, fomentando con ello el pensamiento crítico, reflexivo y creativo en busca de la coherencia en las historias que vivimos y las que recreamos. El objetivo principal de esta Tesis Doctoral, es mostrar a la comunidad, la animación como un lenguaje alternativo y práctica mediadora y preventiva, tanto para los individuos como para la sociedad, desde las Artes y la Educación, frente a la desinformación, desorientación y manipulación mediática que actualmente vivimos. La animación así concebida, favorece una mente despierta, atenta, sensible y equilibrada, con un corazón sabio y el animador, se convierte en un un artista chamánico consciente, en un alquimista, cuyo arte será mediador desde el individuo a la comunidad, estableciendo un diálogo abierto para el cuidado emocional y la autorreflexión. Nuestra perspectiva plantea un cambio, pasando de usar la animación como forma de entretenimiento, a utilizarla como una herramienta de aprendizaje neuro artístico, introduciendo aspectos de la Neurociencia en el proceso creativo y transformándola así en un arte neuro plástico, que promueve la neuroplasticidad autodirigida y la inteligencia emocional. Con esta metodología se estimulan valores como la compasión, la empatía y la resiliencia, donde el proceso alquímico de transformación individual, invita a realizar un viaje introspectivo y purificador, conectando la mente y el cuerpo, el individuo con el grupo y la comunidad con el mundo, a través de las historias animadas. Narrativas que pueden idear nuevos héroes y heroínas, independientes y compasivos, que nos ofrezcan otros modos de enfrentar los desafíos de la vida con humor y sabiduría. En el campo del arte en general y dentro de la industria del cine en particular, por el poder que el audiovisual tiene hoy en día sobre la población, es vital cultivar artistas conscientes de los contenidos que producen, por el impacto e influencia que ejercen en ellos mismos/as, y en la sociedad que los consume y cultura a la que los dirigen. La animación es un lenguaje ancestral y fuente de sabiduría que ofrece un espacio sagrado desde el yo para la comunicación e intercambio de información con el otro; puente entre la ciencia y el arte, lo visible y lo oculto, lo espiritual y lo terrenal, lo análogo y tecnológico, donde el límite lo pone solo la imaginación. Entrar en el mundo animado, es entrar en el mundo de los sueños y la Alquimia espiritual, donde todo es posible. / [CA] L'Animació com a Art alquímico i pràctica contemplativa mindfulness, és un potenciador de la transformació de el "ser" i la seua consciència, desenrollant la comunicació conscient i la autorregulación cap al benestar. A través del procés creatiu i alquímico de les películes animades, es pot cultivar l'atenció plena i una visió holística, fomentant en això el pensament crític, reflexiu i creatiu en busca de la coherència en les històries que vivim i les que recreem. L'objectiu principal d'esta Tesis Doctoral, és mostrar a la comunitat, l'animació com un llenguage alternatiu i pràctica mediadora i preventiva, tant per als individus com per a la societat, des de les Arts i l'Educació, front a la desinformació, desorientación i manipulació mediàtica que actualment vivim. L'animació aixina concebuda, favorix una ment desperta, atenta, sensible i equilibrada, en un cor sapient i l'animador, es convertix en un un artiste chamánico conscient, en un alquimiste, l'art del qual serà mediador des del individuo a la comunitat, establint un diàlec obert per al conte emocional i la autorreflexión. La nostra perspectiva planteja un canvi, passant d'usar l'animació com a forma d'entreteniment, a utilisar-la com una ferramenta d'aprenentage neuro artístic, introduint aspectes de la Neurociencia en el procés creatiu i transformant la aixina en un art neuro plàstic, que promou la neuroplasticidad autodirigida i l'inteligència emocional. En esta metodologia s'estimulen valors com la compassió, l'empatia i la resiliencia, a on el procés alquímico de transformació individual, invita a realisar un viage introspectivo i purificador, conectant la ment i el cos, l'individu en el grup i la comunitat en el món, a través de les històries animades. Narrativa que poden idear nous héroes i heroïnes, independents i compassius, que nos oferixquen atres modos d'enfrontar els desafius de la vida en humor i saber. En el camp de l'art en general i dins de l'indústria del cine en particular, pel poder que l'audiovisual té hui en dia sobre la població, és vital cultivar artistes conscients dels continguts que produïxen, per l'impacte i influència que eixercixen en ells mateixos/as, i en la societat que els consumix i cultura a la que els dirigixen. L'animació és un llenguage ancestral i font de saber que oferix un espai sagrat des del yo per a la comunicació i intercanvi d'informació en l'atre; pont entre la ciència i l'art, lo visible i lo amagat, lo espiritual i lo terrenal, lo anàlec i tecnològic, a on el llímit ho posa solament l'imaginació. Entrar en el món animat, és entrar en el món dels somis i l'Alquímia espiritual, a on tot és possible. / [EN] Animation as an alchemical art and mindfulness contemplative practice, is an enhancer of the transformation of the "self" and its consciousness, developing conscious communication and self-regulation towards well-being. Through the creative and alchemical process of animated films, mindfulness and a holistic vision can be cultivated, thereby fostering critical, reflective and creative thinking in search of coherence in the stories we live and those we recreate. The main objective of this Doctoral Thesis is to show the community, animation as an alternative language and mediating and preventive practice, both for individuals and for society, from the Arts and Education, against misinformation, disorientation and the media manipulation that we currently live. The animation thus conceived, favors an awake, attentive, sensitive and balanced mind, with a wise heart and the animator, becomes a conscious shamanic artist, an alchemist, whose art will mediate from the individual to the community, establishing an open dialogue for emotional care and self-reflection. Our perspective proposes a change, going from using animation as a form of entertainment, to using it as a neuro-artistic learning tool, introducing aspects of Neuroscience in the creative process and thus transforming it into a neuroplastic art, which promotes self-directed neuroplasticity and emotional intelligence. With this methodology, values such as compassion, empathy and resilience are stimulated, where the alchemical process of individual transformation invites us to go on an introspective and purifying journey, connecting the mind and the body, the individual with the group and the community with the world, through animated stories. Narratives that can create new heroes and heroines, independent and compassionate, that offer us other ways to face life's challenges with humor and wisdom. In the field of art in general and within the film industry in particular, due to the power that the audiovisual has today over the population, it is vital to cultivate artists who are aware of the content they produce, due to the impact and influence they exert on themselves, and in the society that consumes them and the culture to which they are directed. Animation is an ancient language and source of wisdom that offers a sacred space from the self for communication and exchange of information with the other; bridge between science and art, the visible and the hidden, the spiritual and the earthly, the analogous and technological, where the limit is set only by the imagination. Entering the animated world is entering the world of dreams and spiritual Alchemy, where everything is possible. / Carpe Pérez, IC. (2023). La animación, proceso alquímico y práctica contemplativa para la transformación y la comunicación consciente: Neuro Animáticas [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/193686

This paper explores Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart (1958) within the context of postcolonial theory, focusing on the clash between traditional Igbo culture and the forces of European imperialism. Achebe's work serves as a response to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (1899) and challenges the stereotypical portrayal of Africans. This thesis delves into the impact of missionaries and Christianity on Igbo society, analyzing the mechanisms through which they established influence and sparked conflicts with traditional beliefs. Employing a postcolonial framework, the study scrutinizes power dynamics, colonial strategies, and the consequences of cultural clashes. The study’s findings critically assess European colonialism by highlighting how missionaries utilized Christianity for colonization, revealing conflicts between African and European cultures and prompting reflection on the repercussions of cultural interactions in pre- and postcolonial Africa. The research reveals the multifaceted impact of missionaries and Christianity on Igbo society, employing tactics such as education-driven conversion, economic dependence, cultural stigmatization, exploitation of social divisions, and legal/political influence. These strategies were designed to subvert traditional beliefs, reshape cultural values, and establish Christianity as a dominant force, resulting in significant cultural conflicts within the Igbo community.

The study of pneumatology is important and necessary in theology, and also in the church. What Christians have to know and understand about it must be taught clearly. The nature and work of the Spirit of God should be mastered by every believer in Jesus Christ. In this way, wrong concepts and teachings can be rejected by the Christian way of life, in the church especially in Africa. It is very noticeable that Africans, in their traditional worldview are conscious of the existence of the Supreme Being, spirits, divinities, ancestral spirits and the spiritual world with its diversity. Africans, Christians and non-Christians believe that around them there are invisible spiritual beings and because of this consciousness they are haunted by the wish to discover what is really going on in the invisible world of the spiritual realm. Most Africans consider the existence of the ancestral spirits as a very important matter and they are in daily need to consult them about every event happening among them in their traditional context. In every event they believe there is always somebody, meaning a spirit, behind what is happening. A death or an accident cannot happen without having been caused by a spirit especially an ancestral spirit. The ancestral spirits are thought to be active in the lives of their living descendants on earth. Ancestral spirits are ambivalent in their relation with the living. They can bring good things to their descendants if they are well treated. They harm and molest them when they are angered by their descendants. The fact that Africans have been confronted with the Gospel has had an impact on the lives of Africans. We have to acknowledge that many things in the conduct of African culture have changed or are going to change in the practical lives of Africans. Although the Gospel has had an impact on the people in Africa, it is unfortunately observed that some Africans do not manifest real change. Christian Africans, despite this encounter with the Christian faith, usually revert to traditional practices in case of hardships like accident, incurable diseases and barrenness, for example. The context of religious pluralism which Africans are experiencing, presents an open door to syncretism. Traditional practices are seriously against the biblical teaching and practices. Christians in the church are found (many times) to be involved in these traditional practices where they fear the attacks of their ancestral spirits or the misfortunes by other spirits. The Spirit of God is active in the world and also in Africa. Christians have to rely on God and not on their ancestral spirits for the sustenance and support in different domains of life. The solution to this on-going attitude of Africans to the spirits can only come from the Word of God. It is absolutely important to continue with the proclamation of the Gospel to Africans. This proclamation of the Word of God must be taken seriously by the church and Christians in Africa. It is only the message from the Bible that can free Africans from their belief in the ancestral spiritual world. / PhD (Dogmatics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The study of pneumatology is important and necessary in theology, and also in the church. What Christians have to know and understand about it must be taught clearly. The nature and work of the Spirit of God should be mastered by every believer in Jesus Christ. In this way, wrong concepts and teachings can be rejected by the Christian way of life, in the church especially in Africa. It is very noticeable that Africans, in their traditional worldview are conscious of the existence of the Supreme Being, spirits, divinities, ancestral spirits and the spiritual world with its diversity. Africans, Christians and non-Christians believe that around them there are invisible spiritual beings and because of this consciousness they are haunted by the wish to discover what is really going on in the invisible world of the spiritual realm. Most Africans consider the existence of the ancestral spirits as a very important matter and they are in daily need to consult them about every event happening among them in their traditional context. In every event they believe there is always somebody, meaning a spirit, behind what is happening. A death or an accident cannot happen without having been caused by a spirit especially an ancestral spirit. The ancestral spirits are thought to be active in the lives of their living descendants on earth. Ancestral spirits are ambivalent in their relation with the living. They can bring good things to their descendants if they are well treated. They harm and molest them when they are angered by their descendants. The fact that Africans have been confronted with the Gospel has had an impact on the lives of Africans. We have to acknowledge that many things in the conduct of African culture have changed or are going to change in the practical lives of Africans. Although the Gospel has had an impact on the people in Africa, it is unfortunately observed that some Africans do not manifest real change. Christian Africans, despite this encounter with the Christian faith, usually revert to traditional practices in case of hardships like accident, incurable diseases and barrenness, for example. The context of religious pluralism which Africans are experiencing, presents an open door to syncretism. Traditional practices are seriously against the biblical teaching and practices. Christians in the church are found (many times) to be involved in these traditional practices where they fear the attacks of their ancestral spirits or the misfortunes by other spirits. The Spirit of God is active in the world and also in Africa. Christians have to rely on God and not on their ancestral spirits for the sustenance and support in different domains of life. The solution to this on-going attitude of Africans to the spirits can only come from the Word of God. It is absolutely important to continue with the proclamation of the Gospel to Africans. This proclamation of the Word of God must be taken seriously by the church and Christians in Africa. It is only the message from the Bible that can free Africans from their belief in the ancestral spiritual world. / PhD (Dogmatics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015