Preventing the denigration of Igbo native religion

Written by Emefiena Ezeani

~The SUN, Nigeria: Fr. Ezeani is of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Federal University, Ebonyi State

LET us reason together: 

Because our African cul­tures (names, languages, beliefs and practices) are different from European cultures, the Europeans tagged most of our cultural practices, beliefs, and elements ‘pagan’ and devilish. Since this errone­ous knowledge has been transmitted from genera­tion to generation, today in Igbo land things are falling apart with brothers fighting against broth­ers in the name of God and religion. In this dis­course, we shall look at the Igbo Christians and the idol-war currently going on in various parts of the Igbo land. We shall take idol to mean any­thing that is capable of menacing a people, that is, something that can endanger the welfare of a people or community. Idol can also mean a sculp­ture or moulded object of a spirit (Chi) which we can call a religious idol.

In contemporary Igbo society, there are a num­ber of things which threaten the welfare and life of many people in society. These include cor­ruption, deception and selfishness of the politi­cal class, daily intimidation and extortion of the already impoverished bus-drivers and Banye-transport riders (Keke) by different Nigerian law-enforcement agents, deception and robbery in God’s name by different ‘Men of God’, embez­zlement of the Church’s money by various min­isters of religion, establishment of fake Miracle Churches where gullible people are hoodwinked and robbed of their money by ‘Men of God’ (some even have private helicopters), cheating, calumny, lying, envy, wickedness and glaring acts of injustice by different ranks of Christians and their religious ministers. All the above come under what I call social destructive idols.

Under religious idols, we have spirits with var­ious names according to geography, such as Udo, Ọgba, Ikenga, Idemmili, Amadiọgha, Ogwugwu etc. Contrary to the views of most Christians, for the Igbo native religion theologians, these (small) spirits are spirit-servants of Chi-ukwu (Chuk­wu), the Great Spirit. For Igbo ancestors, they are simply spirits and God’s agents and not gods Only Chukwu is both Spirit and God (Onye-okike). The ‘idols’ (images) which represent these spirits are mere representations or symbols of them and noth­ing more, as a picture of one’s mother is simply a picture/representation of her and not one’s mother. Why are Christians from various parts of Igbo so­ciety investing so much time, human and material resources waging war against religious idols? There seems to be two explanations for this.

First, man tends to fear what he does not know. The second explanation is anchored on a profound philosophical insight of a young seminarian from the diocese of Abakaliki who has noted that the problem of man is not what he knows or what he does not know, but what he thinks he knows which leads to error. Yes, most misunderstandings on earth – between husbands and wives, friends, priests and bishops, lecturers, politicians, ethnic groups, nations, etc. are rooted on what we think we know which often leads to error, misunderstanding, conflicts and wars. These small spirits (Alụsị) are not, contrary to what many Christians know, devil’s agents but messengers of the High God, according to the Igbo native religion theology. Many Igbo Christians, including their priests, pastors, bish­ops and theologians think they know much about the Igbo natural religion and its theology, but their knowledge of these is mainly from what they were taught by the European missionaries, and colonis­ers who were totally ignorant of the people’s reli­gion and theology. In this case, it was like the blind leading a one-eyed man. Oftentimes, no serious attempts are made by Christian religious ministers and other Christians to update their knowledge of the Igbo native religion and theology.

Some of them who, through studies and research, are better informed about this religion and, as a result, see things differently and the way they are, are sometimes misunderstood by, and are at logger­heads with, the less-informed who are convinced they know much about this religion. A lot of havoc has been caused in different societies as a result of ignorance buttressed by emotional religious zeal. Yet, this ignorance could be eradicated or substan­tially diminished by a study and research on Igbo or African natural religion and theology which would help to reveal the richness and profundity of the Igbo natural religion (INR) and its resemblance to Christi­anity. For instance, one Onyema Anozie has, in 2004, written a book titled, The Moral Significance of Afri­can Traditional Religion for Christian Conscience. A true practitioner of INR is a practical Christian. Why is it, that someone from far away Poland has a better and correct knowledge of this African religious prac­tice than Africans themselves, including their intel­lectuals and clergymen? Francis Arinze in his work, Sacrifice in Igbo Traditional Religion, notes three of what he believes to be the objects of Igbo religious belief or worship which are God, non-human spirits and the Ancestors. It has to be pointed out that though the above three are all objects of Igbo religious belief, only God is the ‘object’ of worship for practitioners of Igbo native religion.

The other two are objects of veneration or superior respect due only to spiritual beings. Any observer of the Igbo society would not fail to notice that the Igbo natural religion, with its so-called idols, is not a threat to society, Christianity or morality. Yet, there has been an intensification of efforts by Christians in different parts of the Igbo land in their crusades against this reli­gion, its practices and symbols. When considered from a number of perspectives, including logical, moral, ecclesiastical and doctrinal, these crusades or wars are unnecessary and they are directed against the wrong idols. From the logical point of view is the traditional Igbo wisdom of Onye uno ya na-agba oku, adi achu oke (One whose house is on fire does not pursue rats).

The presence of rats in the house can be very irritat­ing, but one whose house is ablaze should concentrate all his energy on dealing with the bigger menace (fire) to his house, and not with the naughty rats. Social de­structive idols, as we have noted above, are the major problems facing our society and they are the primary reason why things go badly in society and they are also the major causes of human sufferings.

Human logic requires that these be tackled first and effectively too. On the moral ground, attacking the Igbo natural religion and its symbols ('idols') is against the Christian ethical principle which abhors the use of force or violence (physical or psychological) as a means of spreading Christianity. Neither Christ nor the early Christians used such ungentle method. From ecclesiastical angle and the UN Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the freedom of religion and this does not exclude the Igbo or African natural religionists. The Church's injunction to Christians to respect other people's religions, which include Igbo natural religion, also means that we should not abuse or make a mockery of their religious symbols, rituals and practices.

The Catholic Church's official document, Dignitatis Humanae (Decree on Religious Liberty) is particular about this. Even people show respect and refrain from speaking disparagingly against the religion which they believe causes great stress and fear to people. It is dishonesty to falsely represent these spirits as evil when their believers do not believe them to be such. The true meaning of any religious object or practice is in the mind of the religious adherent, and not in the symbols, objects and observable religious gestures.

The Yoruba who prostrates before an elder is not worshipping him, though prostration is a gesture of worship in some religions.

The onus of explanation, therefore, is on the religious adherents and not on the non-adherents of the religion in question. This means that it is unfair for priests, pastors and theologians of the Church to tell people what the adherents of the Igbo natural religion, who we erroneously call 'pagans,' believe. The 'pagans' should be allowed to tell us what they believe. The basic Christian virtue of fairness requires this minimum Christian charity from us. We should always look before we leap.

A priest, who also happened to be a Chaplain to a Charismatic Renewal Movement in a Diocese in eastern Nigeria, was once asked to deliver a talk to the members. At a point, during the session, someone made a case against Mmanwụ (Masquerade) institution in Igbo land and called for its eradication.

The priest asked why? (They make charms) was the reply he got. He asked them whether some Christians were also involved in charm-making. Some said 'Yes'. The priest then said to them, the Church should also be closed. The people shouted, saying the priest was possessed by the devil and needed to be exorcised. Hearing this, the priest knelt down and invited them to come and exorcise him. Mmanwụ institution, though now abused by some irresponsible Igbo youths, is one Igbo cultural practice which survived the European cultural onslaught.

It is today being aggressively fought against by those Igbo Christians who, like the Europeans, see most of the Igbo cultural practices and symbols as things that relate to the devil. People who care to know would observe that the relationship between Igbo Christians and their non-Christian brothers and sisters, who they call 'pagans', is getting sour day by day. Incidents of some innocent priests and pastors being beaten and assaulted in different parts of Igbo land are manifestations of this unhealthy relationship.

Priests and pastors are seen today as enemies or symbols of opposition to Igbo culture and native religion because of what some Christians are doing. It has been noted that the Nanka ugly incident of 1993 when two Catholics were shot dead and many others wounded would not have taken place if 'fanatical charismatic members did not whip up sentiments against' the tradition of the people which forbade a wife to see the corpse of her husband. 'In their case, the Word was made flesh in order to uproot us all from our culture and environment.'

As some have observed, the amount of hatred and rancour that is being generated against the Church and Christianity today by the behaviour of our new generation 'missionaries' could erupt any day into violence of Nanka proportion.' All this reminds one of the wisdom Chinua Achebe expressed in Things Fall Apart and the truth embedded in it:

The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.

Yes, we have fallen apart; opposing, hating, fighting and maiming our own brothers even for things we may not claim epistemological certainty. Has the white man, for instance, not succeeded in dividing the community or Umunna into Ndi-uka (Church people) and Ndi-obodo (citizens) as Ndi-uka (Igbo Christians) no longer see themselves, or accept that they are also Ndi-obodo? Not every Christian shares this view and many are not happy with the way their fellow Christians treat with scorn the Igbo native religion and simple Igbo traditional practices that are not even religious practices. One Okwu Epuechi, himself a Catholic Christian, in a speech titled The Beginning of Liberation from Mental Slavery, lamented as follows: Some Christians and their leaders are attacking our traditional institutions from different facets; either they are fighting to stop our traditional rites of marriage or they are fighting to stop our methods of rites of passage for the deceased or even fighting to stop us using our traditional week/market days of Eke, Orie, Afọ na Nkwọ. Some are even forced or persuaded to the delusion of changing their surnames into Israeli, Latin or English names as such Igbo names, we are told by these ministers of God, connote evil. What a delusion; this is the height of mental slavery. It is not only obnoxious; it is very, very absurd and unfortunate.