As we celebrate Africa Day, we must keep God as the centre of worship than deifying anything else in the African cultural practice. The bible is specific as it gives scripture that support celebrating our nations, culture, and God’s goodness to his people hence Africa Day is not mentioned in the bible.
Celebrating Africa day must raise God’s name as people shout” Look at what God has done for us as African continent. In that respect, there is not idolatry in that order but it is worship. Psalm 105:1-2 says.” Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what the he has done.”
Africa Day celebrations is celebrating heritage of love, freedom, unity and peace, a legacy we trace back to those who came before us. The Bible commands us to honour our parents, our roots as Exodus 20:12 says, “Honor your father and mother.” This involves honouring our heritage we inherited from our fathers.
Memorial days are biblical as they kept a reminder to the nation of what God did for the nation. Joshua 4:6-7 tells us about Israel setting up stones to be a memorial to the coming generations who will ask, “What do these stones mean.” The elderly will tell the full story that God stooped the flooding Jordan River to enables the nation of Israel to cross on a dry ground. Memorial days in life serve as a reminder of historic events of a nation when people take time to reflect on sacrifices made and victories made.
Africa Day serves as a reminder of unity and love of brotherhood spirit to govern Africa. This does not contradict the bible at all in this regard. We celebrate this aspect of unity and sacrifice for others that led to freedom of many nations from the colonial yoke.
Africa Day originated in 1963 when leaders met in Addis Abbaba in Ethiopia hosted by Emperor Haile Selassie with the purpose of unity and to fight for independence. Some of the leaders include Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania and other African leaders. They formed the Organisation of Africa Unity with the goal to “Liberate the continent from colonialism and apartheid and promote unity and cooperation
In conclusion, Africa Day celebrations must give glory to God and short of anything damaging or reducing the deity of God. We need to guard jealously what Exodus 20: 3 says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” We should celebrate Africa but worship God than replace him with our fallen heroes. As Christians, Africa Day gives us an opportunity to thank God for peace and unity, resources that we have as a continent (Psalm 100:4); pray for Africa leaders and others regions that have no peace; and celebrate our diversity. All this being done in the name of our Lord and praise be to God, Africa Day become a day of praising God and it becomes his day.
