Robyn Lebron The argument being that there is a common vein that runs through all groups that include a common worldview, similarities in belief systems, ritual forms, and values across the various regions of the continent It is not uncommon for a religion to branch out in several variations exactly as occurred with Christianity, Judaism, and Islam However, one cannot speak and write about Africa as if it were a single, homogeneous society, or even a series of isolated, ethnic groups, all basically similar or comparable On the contrary, Africa is socially and culturally very fragmented indeed Africa is a vast geographical area that encompasses many different weather patterns and environments The result is a bewildering variety of social and political systems, of languages, cultures and religions In spite of this discouraging pluralism, it is possible to discern certain (similarities) This is principally because of the extraordinary flexibility…of t raditional A frican s ocieties, which exchanged ideas and practices over wide areas…Local cultures accepted ideas, integrating them into their own systems of thought and symbolism The consequence of all this is that, while there is no single concept which can be called universally “African,” there are a number of experiences which have a relatively wide currency.3 Now that we have established the parameters of our study, let us begin Ultimately, we are Africans Studies of mitochondrial DNA have proven that all human beings are descended from a small population (less than a hundred individuals) that emerged from Africa about 60,000 years ago The earliest written religious texts as well as the first documented monotheistic religion also developed in Africa During the European dark ages, many ancient manuscripts were preserved in African libraries in places such as Ethiopia and Timbuktu.4 It started with brief references in travelogues of early explorers Pioneer Arab travelers and traders to the Continent, as well as European voyagers…were greatly excited by aspects of the indigenous culture of the peoples of Africa they had encountered They made entries in their travel journals These were often just passing references to places, objects or personages Indigenous religious materials, especially ritual objects and symbol forms particularly caught their fancy and were featured