PAGANISM MOST HOLY
Paganism thrives on superstition, writes Sonnie Ekwowusi
Religious expansion in Africa has continued to raise intriguing comparative questions on the nature and character of the Christian communities on the continent. In several hinterlands of Africa, Christianity has not only spread but has adopted the indigenous languages as necessary and effective channels of biblical revelation and Christian evangelisation. In Sierra Leone, for instance, a missionary called Lady Kilham translated the first local languages spoken by the freed slaves in 1827. In the then Gold Coast, the Christian missionaries translated the Bible into Ga, Twi, Ewe and Fante. In Nigeria, Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther not only reduced the Yoruba language to writing but equally translated the Bible into Yoruba. The Christian missionaries equally reduced Igbo, Nupe, Hausa, Kanuri and Efik languages to writing and translated the Bible into the aforesaid languages. Rev. Townsend would in 1859 start the first newspaper in Nigeria called Iwe Irohin in Yoruba. Therefore Africans have utilised the vernacular both for self-understanding of divine revelation and for easy assimilation, acculturation and dissemination of the Christian faith. Literacy in mother tongue has provided the impetus and vehicle for self-expression and propagation of the rubrics of the Christian faith. I do not think there is any village in Africa where the seed of the Christian faith has not fallen.
But unfortunately, Christianity in Africa, arguably, is yet to permeate the reigning pagan culture. Human beings are incorrigibly religious. They are not, however, incorrigibly Christian. Agreed, the coming of Christianity to Africa marked the beginning of a new coherence in the history of religious change and revival, a coherence that ought to do with the transition from paganism to a new transcendental Christian life. But as I earlier stated, Christianity, arguably, has not managed to permeate the reigning pagan culture - pagan attitudes, manners, thoughts and ways of behaviour - and Christianise it. Consequently, there are Christians who are at the time pagans or idol worshipers. They light one candle for Jesus in the church and go to a juju shrine and light another candle there for Amadioha. On Sundays they go to church with their Bibles to worship but on Mondays they go to the Okija juju shrine to dance naked with their cocks in their hands. Despite all the spirituallyuplifting sermons preached to the congregation on Sundays by the clergy, the belief in superstition, sorcery, vision-seeing, witchcraft, dreams, futurism, clairvoyance, and so forth holds sway. Without getting mired in the gobbledygook of sociology and anthropology of religion, whereas the old paganism thrived on divination, incantation, dreams, futurism, and vision-seeing, the new paganism of the 21st Century thrives on the same platforms but on a new panoply of modern technology, fine artistry, modern dancing, drama and even poetry. Undoubtedly the 21st Century futurists, vision-seers and fire-spitting gospelers offer the same services which the dibias, babalawos, futurists, clairvoyants, native doctors of the old offer. The only difference in form is that, armed with their bibles, the modern futurists, vision-seers and native doctors, the new gospelers offer their services in their own ‘holy’ way, amid rendition of moving Christian songs, bright colours and movements in modernised ways.
Like the dibias and babalawos, the modern gospelers claim to possess the powers to banish the devil, change ancestral curses into blessings, restore sight to the blind, destroy the enemies and restore trapped material wealth. In Edo cosmology, Olokun is worshiped by traditional Edo women because of his role in providing children to childless women. Parents of young girls install a small shrine of Olokun in their houses for her protection and wellbeing and when the young marries this shrine is transferred to her husband’s house. Like the Edo Olokun, the fire-spitting
LIKE THE DIBIAS AND BABALAWOS, THE MODERN NEW GOSPELERS CLAIM TO POSSESS THE POWERS TO BANISH THE DEVIL, CHANGE ANCESTRAL CURSES INTO BLESSINGS, RESTORE SIGHT TO THE BLIND, DESTROY THE ENEMIES AND RESTORE TRAPPED MATERIAL WEALTH
new gospelers of nowadays claim to implant fruit of the womb in the womb of a woman. If a woman is in search of the fruit of the womb all she needs to do is to allow the new gospeler to lay his ‘holy’ hands on her head, chest and stomach and a child will be implanted in her womb immediately. If a lady is desperately looking for a husband all she needs do is to approach any of our fire-spitting new gospelers to cast out the prince of the devil disturbing the lady and immediately a husband made in heaven will come out from nowhere and ask the hand of the lady in marriage. Those having financial problems need not worry anymore. All they have to do is to attend the miracle crusade at the warehouse of the new gospeler and their locked financial destinies will be unlocked.
Like the paganism of the old, our ‘holy’ paganism thrives on superstition. For instance, any setback encountered by you is attributed to the handiwork of the devil or your wicked dead ancestors. The horror with which we entertain the thoughts of death or any future evil or the uncertainty associated with living in Nigeria can fill up a melancholy mind with innumerable apprehensions, fears and suspicions, and, consequently dispose it to revel in high superstition. Once I was in mixed assembly when suddenly a young lady claimed that she observed what looked like a rat running under one of the chairs at the place we were standing. This ‘observation’ caused panic among several of us who were present at the assembly, and, before I knew what was happening, everybody in the assembly had dispersed. The claim of the lady that she sighted a rat at the venue of our meeting was construed as a sign of a bad omen for the assembly. In most Nigerian cultures, an owl perching at midnight on the roof of a house is an announcement of the death of a very close person. Between 1873 to 1915 the Scottish missionary and White Queen of Calabar, Mary Slessor, stopped the killing and torture of twins in Calabar. Sadly enough, today in Akwa Ibo State and its environs some religious bigots are killing innocent twins and babies condemned as witches and wizards. You can see that there is no limit to religious superstition in Nigeria. If you are experiencing ‘bad market’ it is the water mermaid that is preventing customers from coming to your shop to buy something. If your never-do-well son fails his JAMB or WAEC Exam it is your wicked uncle that is against his success. If there is no money in your bank account quickly summon the fire-belching new gospeler to cast out the devil in your account that is preventing money from entering into it. If your daughter is sick it is your wicked grandmother in the village who is behind the illness. The pig has predicted that the Super Eagles will get to the semi-final of the World Cup. Full stop. Therefore if the Super Eagles fails to achieve that feat we would sack coach Rohr because he has been doubting the prediction of the pig. We would hire an indigenous coach who understands the way we are and our traditional beliefs.
You can see how the old paganism is made latent in the adulterated modern Christian worship of today, or what has been dubbed ‘holy’ paganism. Anyway, whether we like or not, today’s ‘holy’ paganism must continue to thrive. The genteel poverty in the land is making it to thrive. Many Nigerians are sick, frustrated and hopeless. Therefore they cannot but continue to patronise the dibias, babalawos and the fire-spitting new gospelers for ‘protection’. More importantly, remember that we are so gullible in Nigeria. Having divorced faith from reason, detested philosophy and metaphysics, treated elementary knowledge of human anthropology with utter contempt, what remains is paganism most holy.