In Eurocentric theology
and philosophy, good and evil are two primordial, totally different realities.
African and Asiatic philosophical and theological systems are much more mature.
The focus is placed on the harmonious blend of all reality. When we say, “It’s
all good,” we are really recognizing the deep wisdom of the African and Asiatic
systems. We must remember that in the Christian Bible when God created the
universe, He declared it to be all good.
Carnival is based on the
original African philosophical and theological tradition. This accounts for
some of the confusion we find in the stories of our Carnival figures. In the
strictly Eurocentric version of Christianity, the devil is totally evil. But
the devil, Satan, is named after Set. The original Set was the brother of
Wosir. And Set is the one who killed Wosir. But Wosir’s death brought life to
all mankind, since his blood watered the earth and made all things grow and
sprout. Indeed, Wosir’s death was not forever, since Wosir was resurrected and
went on to rule as king of the afterlife.
Wosir had a son with
Auset (whom the Greeks mistakenly called Isis). This son was conceived after
Wosir was dead. The son’s name was Heru (the Greeks mistakenly called him
Horus). Now, there exists an undying enmity between Heru and Set, for Heru is
unrelenting in his thrust to avenge his father’s death. However, there is no
real enmity between Wosir and Set, nor even between Auset and Set.
Although Set killed his
brother, Wosir, he is not a completely evil force. In fact, he is a powerful
orisha (as are Heru, Wosir, Auset, etc.). The Greeks, who came onto the scene
many, many millennia after the ancient Africans had developed their philosophical
and theological system, could not deal with so complex a system. The Greeks
simplified everything and so distorted the Mystery. Although Christianity is
deeply rooted in ancient African theological tradition, Christendom, the
socio-economic system which is supposed to have Christianity as its base, is
Eurocentric and more heavily influenced by
the Greek approach.
TO BE CONTINUED
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