Ancestors as guardians of morality in African traditional religious thought

Most studies in African traditional religion have concentrated more on the religious than the moral aspects of the relations between the African and his /her ancestors. The moral guardianship provided by the living dead/ancestors is seldom expressed, yet it is the most important aspect of African life irrespective of their conversion to Christianity or any other religion. Questions may be asked: Do Africans traditionally possess their own indigenous ethical systems? Are such ethical systems and values able to withstand the criticisms of modernity? How, do the living dead/ ancestors act as guardians of morality in traditional African societies? What principles of ethics can we adopt in modern times? Can the African society remain loyal when the living dead/ ancestors are out of the picture and no longer play the role of moral guardians? The purpose of this article is to answer some, if not all, of these questions by examining the role of living dead/ ancestors as moral guardians in African traditional religions. In order to do so, it will be necessary to present an elaborate definition of who the living dead/ ancestors are, what morality is, and what African traditional religion is. I will also examine the critically the methods of ancestral guardianship and their effect in achieving moral standards in African societies.