A religion for us all: The Pan-African faith

What should my next thread be about?

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What if there were an African religion, an across the board faith that could have been accepted by people from all of Africa, with a high emphasis on conversion just like most Abrahamic faiths, that arose and gained a large number of followers before the beginning of Christianity and Islam, and could continue being popular in Africa after the rise of Islam? How would Africa's religious makeup be like today if a more organized traditional faith was able to gain a foothold in the Continent before the two more popular Abrahamic faiths could get on the starting line?

Well, I think that the best place for this religion to start would be in Kush. Let's say that this religion would be monotheistic with a high emphasis on conversion, unlike most African religions; the faith has temples and a religious text, the religion has some aspects of the traditional Kushite faith. This religion, which we'll call Jebelmarra, is able to gain a high number of followers but due to friction between the Jebelmarra faithful and the followers of the Kushite religion the Jebelmarrans are forced to move away. They settle outside of Kush in South Sudan and Ethiopia, and are able to gain more followers. The Jebelmarra are able to gain a lot of support in Ethiopia. The Jebelmarra faith is already very popular in The Horn of Africa by the time of Christianity, so it is unable to gain a lot of followers in Ethiopia. Jebelmarra spreads down south to Somalia. The Muslims are able to get some followers in Somalia, and there is conflict on both sides. After the fall of Nubia, Jebelmarra is accepted by a lot of Kushites and it is able to spread northwards. Jebelmarra isn't very popular outside of Africa. Jebelmarra is already practiced as far away as the Sahel and Margreb. With the Bantu and Nilote expansions, Jebelmarra is carried deeper into Africa. From the Sahel Jebelmarra was able to spread into Western Africa. Slaves taken to the Americas carry Jebelmarra with them, and many Black Slaves pracise it. There are, however, Muslims on the East African coast, in parts of the Horn of Africa and the Sahara. Many Africans stick to their traditional faiths, but Jebelmarra is extremely popular in the Sahel, Ethiopia and many kingdoms in Eastern Africa, but most tribal, decentralized Africans reject the faith. During the colonization of Africa by Europe, Jebelmarra is treated better than the other African faiths, and conversion isn't as effective. Many of the tribal peoples of Central, South Eastern and South Western Africa accept Christianity. Many of the communities that practice traditional faiths in OTL Africa still do the same in TTL Africa.
 
Jebelmarra practitioners in the Sahelian will convert to Islam no matter what so long has trans Saharan trade occurs with Muslims

Same with Indian Ocean slave trade from Somalia down to northern Mozambique.

What draw will a Kush derived faith have after Kush falls? What trade occurs in with Jebelmarra that makes it lucrative for intercontinental trade? Have an African continent based religion is different and will lead to different results than an African bound faith.
 
Jebelmarra practitioners in the Sahelian will convert to Islam no matter what so long has trans Saharan trade occurs with Muslims

Same with Indian Ocean slave trade from Somalia down to northern Mozambique.

Remember that not everyone in the Sahel was a Muslim, there were a few pockets of traditionalists, I think it is possible small pockets of the Jebelmarran faith would continue to exist within the Sahel, allowing it to spread to the forest kingdoms of West Africa where it is received well. South Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia are essentially the Jebelmarran strongholds with a few pockets of practitioners in Somalia and small pockets of Christianity in Ethiopia. A few Bantu tribes practice the faith but most decentralized peoples don't. Jebelmarra essentially dies out in the Margreb, Libya, Egypt and Sudan.

What draw will a Kush derived faith have after Kush falls? What trade occurs in with Jebelmarra that makes it lucrative for intercontinental trade? Have an African continent based religion is different and will lead to different results than an African bound faith.

Please explain more on this, I didn't quite understand that part.

Can anyone guess what Jebelmarra means? It has something to do with Sudanese Geography.

What are your ideas on how Jebelmarra should spread and how it should be like?
 
If this religion is supposed to have an Egyptian/Kushite origin, perhaps Atenism could spread to/survive in Kush after being stamped out in Egypt proper, then spread through the rest of Africa?
 
Let's not forget the religion needs significant proselytizing effects that can supplant Pagan faiths and carter to the masses.
 
If this religion is supposed to have an Egyptian/Kushite origin, perhaps Atenism could spread to/survive in Kush after being stamped out in Egypt proper, then spread through the rest of Africa?

Honestly, I think it surviving might work best (I think @NikoZnate did a TL on that) - but Trans-Saharan trade from Egypt could be an interesting proposition, especially as it might bring Egyptian knowledge with them to any potential converts. Where that additional knowledge (if new) may provide them with an edge over time. An Atenist Darfur, then Lake Chad would be a likely path for Atenism to spread. Punt, Carthage are also places that it could spread too.

What makes me curious as to what variants emerge. Chaddian Atenism could take on a significantly different character to Classical (Egyptian) Atenism.
 
I think Jebel Marra refers to the Marra mountain range in Darfur. The Jebel Marra acts as a stepping stone to relations with Western Africa since the mountains contain higher rainfall relative to much of the Sahel. This would make the area a self sustaining base and important stopover for intercontinental trade. Finding ways to have a hypothetical religion reach and appeal to peoples living at and around the mountains will help spread this religion along the trade route (i.e. the rest of the Sahel). This process could also apply to other regions like the Great Lakes or the Lower Congo (via coastal or riverine trade). Essentially, much of the converting is probably going to be done by proxy so maybe you could focus on inner African trade to better understand how your religion can expand.

Basically you'll have to address why this religion should be adopted (incentives to convert) as well as the means through which it spreads (trade, prestige, conquest, rebellion etc.). Either way there's likely to be huge differences from place to place due to differing cultural, social, and economic contexts across the varied continent.
 
If you want a lasting faith that can withstand exposure to the Muslim and Christian worlds, I'd suggest a religion that starts in the Great Lakes (pastoral faith) or in the Congo (both Kongo and the Lunda/Luba could work).
 
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