As well as the secular and religious rituals marking the death of Nelson Mandela, a third group of African symbols emphasise the continuity of life rather than the finality of death and will induct Madiba into a category of “ancestorship” revered and venerated as founders of the nation The passing of Africa’s greatest contemporary global icon, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918-2013), has spawned torrents of tributes, accolades and encomiums, the likes of which seem rare and odd for a deceased African political leader. Yet viewed through the lens of African religious traditions, there is nothing extraordinary about that.Put simply, this is how Africans south of the Sahara celebrate the transition from one phase of life to another, especially when a figure of this magnitude