"The last and most important pitfall for the Christian student is his belief in one God and the assumption which rises from it, namely that Africans must also have a High God. It is this assumption which has led Evans-Pritchard to interpret the numerous deities of the Nuer as refractions of God, and Placid Tempels to arrange the so-called 'life forces' of the Bantu in a hierarchy at the apex of which is the supposed High God. This also explains the preoccupation of many writers with some half-forgotten deities which are described as no longer interested in the affairs of men, and yet, they are called the High God. The aim of the study of African religions should be to understand the religious beliefs and practices of African people, rather than to discover the Christian God in Africa."
Okot p'Bitek (2011: 52), Decolonizing African Religions
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