The gods of West Africa

This group gathers deities of West African traditional religions beyond the Yoruba orishas treated separately, including figures from Akan, Fon (Vodun), Dogon and neighbouring traditions. These are living religions of the region, typically framing a remote high god above a working array of lesser deities, ancestors and nature spirits.

The browser will find high gods such as the Akan Nyame and the Fon Mawu-Lisa, along with the vodun and lesser powers served in daily practice. Many of these traditions are the African sources of diaspora religions elsewhere in the atlas, and the entries note those connections where they are documented.