New religious movements in Africa: Neo traditionalist movements perspective

Abstract

Neo religious movements is a term often used to describe a wide range of movements that developed in the tail end of the 19th century (the 1960s and 1970s). It is a counter culture in response to the imposition of colonial and the early missionary enterprise. In Africa, it is a modern religious movement that emerged as a creative and innovative response to the historically and unprecedented change in the religio-cultural life of African religiosity. It is a global phenomenal upsurge that cuts across all forms and strata of religious types. However, the thrust of this work is centered on “neo traditionalist movements in Africa’’ as a modern form of the already existing African religions. From the historical perspective, it is observed that colonial and missionary label of African religions as primitive, fetish, idolatrous, heathen among others were repugnant designations. It is in this light that the African traditional religion seeks not only to defend itself from these western missionary and colonial derogations but to present its rightful place in the annals of modern world religions in its dynamic new form, here presented as new religious movement. Having survived the missionary/ colonial suppression as a primordial religion of Africa especially in Nigeria, it developed from a nationalist movement to its contemporary modern form as a secularized Godianism just as every known religion of mankind remains dynamic in tandem to the trend of globalization.