A study of ignatian discernment in an african context

David Lonsdale partially defines spirituality as ¿a philosophy of life based on faith.¿ Using this same definition we can understand African spirituality as expressions and manifestations of various African beliefs informed by the original African culture or tradition. By African spirituality, I refer to the spiritual practices that can be observed in different sub-Saharan African countries. These practices vary from one country to another, but many common points can be found in each of them, as Patrick Kalilombe claims, ¿Although there is such a diversity in details, there is however, an astonishing convergence in African cultures and religion when one considers the deeper, underlying outlook, values, and attitudes.¿ I will particularly focus on these common spiritual values and attitudes. African spirituality derives from the African traditional worldview, which maintains communication between the visible and the invisible world. The visible world comprises nature and all the living; the invisible world encompasses God, spirits, and ancestors. This general philosophy is based on the principle of life or the vital force.