What Has Religion Got To Do With It 1

What Has Faith Got To Do With it (1)
Religion and The Sanctity of Space of Social Interaction: A Personal Narrative On The Situation In South West Nigeria

(Being presentation at an international interractive session on Religion and the African Society held in Accra in Ghana in 2003).

PREAMBLE
The title and content of this piece have been inspired by a speech delivered by the South Korean Ms. Irene NG, a former magazine editor, who later became a Member of Parliament, at a workshop for journalists in South Korea in 2002. Ms. Irene, in her speech, Walking The Middle Line, which was basically a narrative of her personal experience as a journalist dealing with matters of inter-groups relationships, uncovered some uncommon roots of conflicts among groups of divergent orientations and ideologies. She suggested ways by which a communications worker or any social worker and, by extension, the larger society could effectively navigate the vast and precarious landmine wrought by differences in belief systems as well as cultural orientations, that fill our current social order.
Substantially, Ms. Irene speaks to my experience in various dimensions: as a Nigerian who while growing up and schooling, lived through varied encounters with differing religious tendencies and who, has had to contend with other experiences as a cultural journalist in the past 18 years.
Interestingly, it is in this later dimension that I have come to realize certain basic truths that we, as thinkers and opinion-molders, ought to uphold in our search for answers to the many questions bordering on the survival of our contemporary society(ies). We shall return to these truths later, perhaps, in our conclusions.
But we may stress at this initial stage that the Social Space of Interaction which is that vast field where human beings meet on equal terms i.e as creations with blood and flesh, without the various barriers erected by man and the circumstances of his existence… must be firmly protected by all instruments necessary -- legislative, legal, political, social -- so that it will remain inviolable. It means that the State and its administrators and the people will ensure that even when peddlers of Religious interests including the Entrepreneurs and Profiteers, insist on seizing the control of political and economic powers, they will at least spare the Space of Social Interaction. The Cultural field is the most active of the various fields in the Social Interaction Space and so, we propose that the State must make deliberate attempt to invest in the field so that it could harness its vast potentials of diffusing the tensions that are bound to come with the day to day running of the State and human interactions.
This presentation is the product of a little project began by the Culture Working Committee (an arm of the Culture activist group, the Committee for Relevant Art, CORA, founded 1991) last year after the Colloquium on Culture of Peace that was part of the 13th National Festival of Arts and Culture, NAFEST, in Port Harcourt.
The NAFEST itself had been initiated as the Nigeria Arts Festival (NAF) in 1970 - a few months after the end of the 30-month Civil War -- by a group of cultural intelligentsia of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, as their contribution towards quickening the pace of Reconciliation and Reintegration among the various sections of the country that had been fragmented by the political conflicts that led to the war. The festival was taken over by the government after the Second World Festival of Black and African Arts and Culture, FESTAC in 1977. It then became a yearly event though it suffered a break between 1983 and 1988.
At the 2002 NAFEST, the government had included a Colloquium on Culture of Peace as a continuation of an on-going national discourse the best means of resolving the various conflicts that attended the nation's quest for Democracy and freedom from the long Military interregnum.
A group of Cultural Journalists who were attending the Colloquium, perhaps wearied by the unfruitful results of the many conferences that had been held on same issue of finding solution to the crisis and; perhaps also, noting that certain so-called social activists and public commentators had installed themselves as professional speakers at such events thus putting a question on the integrity of their contributions and sincerity of the conferences, had thought of initiating a more practical means of approaching the matter of Peace and National Cohesion.
They thus decided to take up a little project of documenting their individual story with focus on the type of orientation (upbringing, educational and working life) that had shaped their adult perception of life and society, particularly, as it affects the 'Other People'.
The project is in three phases. And the first phase is the production of the Literatures (such as in this presentation), which will then form the basis of some Conferences and Youth-Focused actions in the nearest future. It is our own little way of creating an atmosphere of better understanding among the people and emphasizing on those positive values in our social orientation, which have been upstaged by activities of politicians who masquerade as purveyors of Puritanism and Protectors of God's Lore.
So when we confronted the title 'What Has Religion Got To do With It'? We decided to moderate the sub-text of that theme by adopting the title of the song of the famous American pop star Tina Turner, 'What Love's Got To Do With It'. So we asked 'What Hasn't Love Got To Do With What God Has Created?' The creations we refer to are The Earth and its Human Occupiers.
This presentation will oscillate between the personal narratives and the cold facts of historical antecedents as they relate to the topic and particularly, the experience of the South West of Nigeria.
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NIGERIAN POLITY AND ETHNO -RELIGIOUS BALANCING
Ethnicity and Religion have always dominated discourse in Nigeria polity. These same issues have also, always been prevalent in the many conflicts that Nigerians have experienced in the past decades.
Governance of the country has been largely influenced by ethnic and religious considerations, particularly since 1914 when the 'geographical expression' that is today known as Nigeria was contrived by Britain, the former colonial administrator or 'master', from the Northern and Southern Protectorates.
Activities of consecutive Nigerian governments particularly, in the sharing of political largesse, have always placed emphasis on where the beneficiary comes from and the religion, which he/she professes. Similarly, the composition of Federal (as well as some state) cabinet has always been sensitive to balancing of the various ethnic and religious divides, although one can say that for religion, the contention is always between Islam and Christianity.
The Traditional Religion practitioners who are said to account for about 60 per cent of the over 120 million population, are always excluded except when there is a major rupture in the religious world of the nation and they are called upon to join their Muslim and Christian fellows to proffer solution to the crisis. Perhaps, the first major attempt to include the traditional religion in the national agenda was with the recent appointment of Professor Wande Abimbola, a renowned Traditionalist and Culture Scholar, into the Federal cabinet of President Obasanjo, as Special Adviser on Culture and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Throughout its political history, the composition of the Nigeria Federal Executive Council has always respected the Islam and Christianity dichotomy. At independence in 1960, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, an Igbo Christian was elected the President while Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, a minority-Hausa Muslim was Prime Minister.
In 1979 during the Second Republic, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, a Fulani Muslim was the President and Dr. Alex Ekwueme, an Igbo Christian, the Vice-President.
Although the 1983 Presidential elections paraded two Muslims (MKO Abiola and Babangana Kingibe), one, a Yoruba and the other an Hausa on the ticket of the SDP, the issue of religion was topical particularly, in the campaign of the second party, the NRC.
The present dispensation since 1999 when the country re-adopted democracy follows the same pattern with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a Christian as President and Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, a Hausa Muslim as Vice-president.
But the dream of the founding fathers had always been a land of equal opportunity. As a matter of fact, the dream to have a pluralistic society where every component -- every people and every individual -- is free to adopt, develop and practice its (his) own faith and set of beliefs -- is well entrenched in the consciousness of virtually every Nigerian. And indeed, certain national policies are founded on this dream and aspiration of mutual respect and, accommodation of, for interest of other people.
For instance, the Second National Development Plan -- which has come to be known as the most definitive of the various Plans (that have always been abandoned at birth in any case) -- stressed five key objectives of the nation. These are to build:
oA free and democratic society
oA just and egalitarian society
oA united, strong and self-reliant nation
oA great and dynamic economy
oA land of bright and full opportunities for all citizens
However, these objectives have been abused and manipulated on many occasions by those whom Ms. Irene had described as Religious Entrepreneurs but whom we have also identified as Politico-Religious Merchants and Profiteering Puritans, who capitalize on the gale of social and economic depression that have over the decades, unleashed strain - physical and spiritual -- on the people.
The activities of these selfish leaders and opinion molders have also over time, managed to have some degree of backing by the corrupt tendencies in the State as well as the profiteering 'Big Brothers' from abroad.
The institutionalization of these Fifth Columnists in the affairs of many African states, in particular here, Nigeria, has led to the advent of frequent religious crisis.
It wasn't until the 1980s that cases of very serious religious intolerance and violence started showing up in Nigeria polity and; though widely reported (because of their novelty), they were mostly isolated cases. The 1990s brought the most damning of the crisis in the infamous Maitasine Riot -- a Muslim sectarian conflict that was promoted as inter-religious crisis and which rocked the nation to its foundation.
But we must note that the 1990s recorded the most disruptive events in the political and economic lives of Nigeria. The Second Republic, which was the country's second romance with Democratic Governance, was annulled in 1983 by the Military adventurists (politicians) who had halted the First Republic in 1966.
Also and very significantly, Nigeria took the International Monetary Fund, IMF loan in 1985 and launched the strangulating economic regime of Structural Adjustment Policy, SAP, which of course, sapped hope, confidence and self-esteem from the will of the people to live and survive.
Thus the wave of aggression that enveloped the national spirit can be gleaned from the perspective of economic emasculation of the populace and the dislocation of the political movement of the country. This aggression and sense of disorientation did not spare the religious conviction of the people. It buried anger in their souls and hatred in their senses.
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NIGERIA AND THE SOUTH WEST
Nigeria is usually divided into three rough zones - North, East and West. Each of these zones portrays the two major religious tendencies of the country. The East (including the relatively new branding - the South-South), is largely Christian while the North is predominantly Muslim.
The West, however, is almost evenly divided among the two. In fact, there is hardly any family in the West without some of its members who do not share sympathy for either of the two main religions - Islam and Christianity -- even when the main family professes to either of the faiths.
The dominant ethnic group in the West is Yoruba and they are largely cosmopolitan and liberal in social, cultural and even political orientation. And there are shared fundaments between the traditional norms and the so-called Modern influences.
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RELIGION OF THE YORUBA
Defining the religion of the Yoruba has always been a subject of contention among sociologists and other classes of researchers. Certain hasty conclusions had said at some point that it was Paganism and they based their resolve on the preponderance of perceived cultic influences in the norms and cultural practices of the people.
But this only signifies the problem of Labeling, which goes beyond mere categorization. The term is often used derogatorily by the adherents of the two main (foreign) religions who perceive themselves as the 'authentic' or 'righteous', to express their subjective conviction of the 'Other'(s).
Paganism is no doubt, a convenient choice of label or perspective by Muslims and Christians for a set of beliefs rooted in the culture of the people and, which they cannot understand or have refused to comprehend.
However, one point on which they all agree is the fact that there is the sacrosanct place of the Supreme Being who occupies the same status as God in Christendom or Allah in Islam. All power flows from the Being and he dispenses his authority through the various deities, who other researchers have defined as similar to the various prophets in the other religions.
Also, debates have been had on whether Yoruba religion could be seen from the perspective of Monotheism - i.e. because of the Central place of the Supreme Being; or Polytheism i.e. because each of the deities also occupies important place of worship in the pantheon.
However, Bolaji Idowu, in his landmark 1962 publication, Olodumare - God In Yoruba Belief (Longman, 1962), contended that:
"It is rather dubious if we could speak of the religion of Yoruba people in precise term. What we have seems to be a mixed bag of individual cults out of which everyone chooses according to lineage or family tradition, or as the circumstances of life dictates. Nevertheless, the one big Bag which holds the individual cults together, is Olodumare (also Oluwa, Olorun etc).
This suggests a pantheon in which Olodumare is one among many... He is a part as wholly. His relationship to the divination being that of “the sovereignty by which He orders His dominion in which they are included”. And none of the deities operate its power and will without the direction and supervision of Olodumare.
Generally, the Yoruba attitude to religion is one of tolerance and moderation, hence the title of any Oba as 'Baba Ilu' i.e. father of all. An Oba is expected to attend all religious activities in his domain, be it of Christian, Muslim or indigenous colouration. Indeed, there are certain Festivals which mandate that the Monarch must be a father of the entire community and that irrespective of his Religious inclination, he must be part of the spiritual comfort of the people as expressed in their Festivals as well as other social functions.
We have the Osun Osogbo Festival in Osogbo, Osun State. We have the Olojo Festival, in Ife also in Osun State. We have the Eyo Festival in Lagos. We have the Ekimogun Festival in Ondo State; We have the Okebadan in Oyo State among others. In each of these places, the Monarch is either a Muslim or a Christian but he still has to be the 'father of all' by leading activities in each of the national festival or ceremony in his domain.
Recently, some Obas who refused to respect this doctrine of being a father to all in the community have faced problem with the community.
Some studies have suggested that the Polytheism undercurrent in Yoruba religion coupled with the cosmopolitan nature of the people accounts for the attitude of accommodation of the two religions with little room for conflicts. But this accommodation has always discomforted the people of the two other religions who insist that the commitment of a Yoruba person to a religion is suspect. For instance to most Muslims in the North, the Muslim in the South is a 'kaferi.'But the fundamental of the Yoruba to religion is borne in the song :Awa Osoro Ilewa
Esin ope kawa masoro
Awa o soro Ile wa
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Religions apart, people of the southwest are mostly driven by the virtues of kindness, love, tolerance and humility.
Consciously or unconsciously, they could be seen to have hearkened to the submission of the Holy Qur'an when Allah says: “Oh Mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (Not that ye may despise (each other). Verily, the most honoured of you in the sight of God, is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God, Has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).
YORUBA CONTACT WITH FOREIGN RELIGION:
Whereas, Bolaji Idowu stated that it is difficult at the moment to say exactly when the two religions first made their contacts with the country, their coming is bound up with the early history of the Yoruba. J.M Groves speaks of Christian missionary activities of the Portuguese and of the Spanish in the Benin Empire between 1485 and 1655. Also Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics notes missionary activities in Benin, Angola, Upper Volta, about same time. Benin is only 180 miles away from Ife the cradle of the Yoruba.
Christianity came again in 1841 through slaves who were liberated in Sierra Leone.
It is difficult to put a date on the entrance of Islam into Yoruba land, but if we consider the fact that many of its neighbours like the Nupe, the Madingo and Hausa who trade extensively with Oyo people received Islam by the 10th century, it is certain that the northwest of Yoruba land must have some Muslims as far back as the 11th or 12th century. However, A.D. Bivar and M. Biskett in the "Arabic Literature of Nigeria: A Provisional Account" (BSOAS, XXV, 1962) and; H.F.C. Smith: "Arabic Manuscript Material Relating To The History Of the Western Sudan", made reference to Yoruba Muslims in the 17th century.
Christianity however, helped to further reinforce the Yoruba's belief in a supreme life and human responsibility.
Islam, which was also recorded to have come through Sudan via Northern Nigeria also help to reinforce such values as pre-destiny and fatalism. Islamic fatalism - the will not to question the will of the Supreme Being.
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But the two religions have had a weakening effect on Yoruba's belief system. The Yoruba religions have been known to suffer immeasurable disruption through intervention of the two religions. Stated Bolaji Idowu: “Besides the internal weaknesses which makes for its retrogression, the religion of the Yoruba has been affected by the incursion of two world religions - Christianity and Islam - which came into the country with their attendant culture.
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But we race ahead to another of conception of our conclusion that the insulation of Yoruba communities from religious conflicts, the volatile dimension of it, as had often been witnessed in other parts of the country, is rooted in the fact that the Yoruba culture in the context of its socio-cultural milieu including its norms and practices, has been able to contain the excesses of the two foreign religions - Islam and Christianity. Whereas it has managed, even where they in their philosophical contentions have gone against its foundational principles, to accommodate them, it has maintained its sacred doctrines of love, brotherhood and tolerance of all shades of opinion.
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However, we should not be under any illusion that the Yoruba culture and by extension, religious conviction from future conflicts or clashes with the foreign religions. As a matter of fact, we have noticed the aggression of the newer forms of Islam and Christianity 'to fish' for their 'new men' from the vast seemingly unexplored traditional religious fields to which the Yoruba religion is often confined. The Evangelisation or what has been termed Missionarism principles of the younger sects of the two main religions are bound to sooner or later run into conflict with the liberal contentions of the Yoruba cultural norms. Already we can see the manifestation of this future conflicts in the activities of the Gospeller cults of the two main religion which thrive on condemning or derogating the existing beliefs or practices to legitimize its own convictions or justify its own existence.
Thus we have in the South West, we have the rise of a new (militant?) gospelling Muslim body called the NASFAT which is redefining the traditions of Islam worship of Muslims. Its members now worship on Sundays at about the same time that the Pentecost Christians mass for worship in their various churches. Besides, the NASFAT is exploring the Pentecosts' norms of tele-evangelism. It is thus curious when on Sunday mornings, young Muslim clerics come on the television screen preaching the gospels of Islam. They even stage Praise and Worship in the established Christian practices. And the famous Lagos-Ibadan Expressway which has in the past few years been colonized by Christian movements of Pentecost persuasions has suddenly become choice spots for the establishment of worship centre by the NASFAT. In other words, there is Jihadist colouration to the practice of the new Muslim movement and it is easy to project that the next Religious conflagration may actually come from the seemingly Conflict-insulated South West… and it may just begin at the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.