Neo-Paganism as a Socio-Religious Phenomenon in Africa and among the Igbo: The Problem of Nomenclature and the Revivalists’ Albatross

Abstract

Colonial encounter has left Africa with a lot of words incongruous with the nature and character of Africans. The gradual return to the ancient Igbo traditional culture, has in recent times, come to the domain of religion. Through the last two to three decades, this return was gradually experienced in health care and culture. Even in Christian circles, the Igbo have experienced gradual inclusion of some Igbo cultural practices in Christian gatherings, both in worship and social activities. Alongside this experience, some socio-cultural activities of the Igbo which were not found to directly contradict the Christian message were endorsed by Christians. Recently, this trend developed into reopening traditional Igbo religious centres and reviving Igbo religious systems and core cultural practices. Young people especially are no longer satisfied with being on the fringes of Igbo religious reality. They constitute the majority of the Igbo who plunge themselves back into the ancient religious systems. Igbo Christian population understand this phenomenon as a problem which needed solutions. In order to solve this problem, theologians and Christian leaders identify this phenomenon as ‘Neo-Paganism’. However, we are convinced that wrong identification will result in wrong solutions. The work also considers the revivalists as missing the core of this revival; a core which it identified as community. The present work is based on the hypothesis that the identification of revivalists as ‘Neo-pagans’ is problematic. The work suggested two identifications – Revivalism and Apostasy. This suggestion was made against the background that presently the Igbo is dominantly Christian and that more than the rift and bad energy the identity of ‘Neo-Paganism will generate, the two suggested concepts will foster empathy with the traditional religious culture and sympathy with the Christian population which is espousing this revival. The work used the historical and hermeneutic methods of approach.
Keywords: Paganism, Neo-paganism, Igbo, Religion, Igbo Religion, Igbo Identity, Arụsị