This consultation, which we hope will yield fruits for an ongoing process on the theme "The contribution of Africa to the religious heritage of the world", should challenge the perception of Africa as being mainly on the receiving end or as a source of poor health and ongoing conflicts. What prompts us is not apologetics but as far as we can understand it, we would like to provide space for the integrity of Africa, because we have seen and understood that Africa is vibrant and present way beyond its geographical location.

Africa is present all over the world and is a force to reckon with in the world of religion and culture. Dialogue with African religion, in as much as it has been an issue in the WCC, takes us beyond our usual categories and in many different respects. The religious and spiritual heritages of Africa go beyond the formal dialogue. It involves dialogue, gospel and culture, Christian renewal, congregational life, etc. Dialogue with people following African religion has more often than not been taken to mean being engaged with Christians, who themselves feel attached to their tradition and culture. It has been understood not only as a dialogue between people of different faiths, but in many respects also as an encounter of gospel and culture. The power and vitality of African traditions and spiritual values continue to play a significant role on the African continent itself, particularly through the African Instituted Churches, and in Christianity and Islam in Africa. However, it is also real in the different Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean religions, and in the spirituality of African-American Churches and in African-American Islam. African religious traditions and Christianity have truly been brought together creatively in many different places in the world.

Not much attention has been given to religious traditions deriving inspiration from Africa, or to the continuing strength of the African religious heritages that are a common factor underlying several of the religious traditions in various parts of the world.

The heritage from Africa has made us discover new dimensions in religion and spirituality. Separated from kin, culture and nation, African slaves of diverse origin could not simply recreate their religion in Diaspora, but they did retain fundamental perspectives and world-views symbolised in their religions, even as they adopted religious traditions from Europeans, Native Americans and other Africans and combined them in new, 'Creole' religions. Religions such as Haitian Voodoo, Cuban Santeria and Brazilian Candomblé, attest to the vitality and continuity of African religious world-views and rituals in the midst of change. This holds of course true also for many African American Christian traditions, obvious in the many different ways in which African American Christian hymns and worship have influenced the whole of oikumene.

The African instituted churches are nourished by the same African heritage. The Holy Spirit is the focus of belief and practice. The Spirit is power made manifest in healing and exorcism, echoing African spiritual and religious epistemology and ontology. African religiosity and culture have undoubtedly influenced Islam as a religion in Africa, in the South contributing to expressions of Islam that differ from the Islam of the Middle East.

African religion seems to experiences a renaissance, witnessing to a spirituality and ways of life, which have been able to outlast exclusion and oppression. It is evidenced in the practice of African healers, and their interaction with practitioners of Western medicine. This African spirituality affirms a sense of the sacred and a reverence for sacred places, persons and sacred times. The veneration of ancestors, and a tradition handed down through stories, poems, hymns, proverbs, riddles and art involve the whole community past and present.

The WCC at its Assembly in Harare, Zimbabwe, December 1998, rededicated itself to "the African dream and agenda for the 21st century". Dreams and visions cannot be separated from religious and cultural traditions.

Through the cooperation with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), the Office on Interreligious Relations and Dialogue (IRRD) of the WCC would like to join in the commitment of the Harare Assembly. In our common study process on "The contribution of Africa to the religious heritage of the world" we would like to

• Focus on the religious heritage of Africa, hoping that this would lead to a greater understanding between Christians and people of other faiths and open new avenues for interaction and co-operation between peoples of faith;

• Throw light upon the continued vitality of the religious heritage of Africa in religious traditions in various parts of the world;

• Contribute to an enriched understanding of the role of Africa in many of the religious traditions in various parts of the world;

• Challenge a perception of Africa as being only on the receiving end or as a source of poor health and ongoing internal conflicts.