Robyn Lebron them sacred and no one would dare abuse them Some altars are simple; especially the ones in homes, but some communities and villages have communal altars for the entire village as vehicles for channeling the positive forces from the Great One and the ancestors to the whole community Through oral traditions these cultural values are kept and transmitted from generation to generation.29 The prophet delivers the messages from the gods; he foretells events and explains what is mysterious He is considered to be possessed of supernatural knowledge, wisdom, and power—power that he has in virtue of his office He is in reality what the prophets of Israel were to the Jews The prophet among African men explains the cause of drought and floods and must devise a remedy for these visitations Prophets can, in some cases, determine the succession to the throne In Uganda, three chiefs or councilors, who are prophets or semi-divine, elect the new king from among the late monarch’s sons When some tribes go to war, the prophet must decide the strength of the expedition, the clans who are to send their contingents, the sacred place where the army is to be charmed, and the route that is to be taken Nor can a general go into action, even against a handful, should the oracles be unfavorable.30 In traditional African life, women play a significant role in the religious activities of society One of the areas where this role is prominent is in offering prayers for their families and their communities In many areas, there still are women priestesses; almost everywhere in Africa, the mediums or shaman (who are so important in traditional medical practice) are nearly always women; those who experience spirit possession are in most cases also women Traditional healing is a profession of both men and women, but it is more often the women practitioners who handle children’s and other women’s medical needs The value of the woman begins when she is born and not when she gets married So it is stated: “ ” Already at birth the woman is destined to be married In traditional African society this entails a bride-exchange in form of cattle, services, foodstuffs, family ties, or other expressions of the marriage contract Furthermore, the woman will bear children and thus enrich her husband, the wider circle of relatives from both sides and the community she lives in.31