Dr Olukoya Ogen, The Triple Heritage of African Religion

This lecture took place on Thursday 28 October 2021.

This public lecture is supporting our Foundation Certificate in African History

Religious pluralism has long been a defining feature of African identity, nowhere more so than among the Yoruba of West Africa, where Ifa, Islam and Christianity have each contributed to the shaping of national consciousness.

However, in light of the rise of ethno-religious nationalist rhetoric across Africa, and particularly in Nigeria, as well as increasing participation in indigenous religion on the continent and in the diaspora, are we entering a post-tolerance age as Africa seeks to reconcile its multiple identities?

Join us for this highly topical conversation with esteemed Professor of History, Dr Olukoya Ogen of Osun State University, whose 2017 co-edited collection “Beyond Religious Tolerance: Muslim, Christian and Traditionalist Encounters in an African Town”, explores the realities of the pluralist paradigm in Yorubaland.

Dr Ogen will take us through the historic and contemporary relationship between Africa’s three religions; the impact of pluralism on indigenous epistemologies, pedagogies and identity; and his thoughts on the future of religious tolerance as a defining feature of African identity.

Watch Now

Dr Olukoya Ogen is a Professor of History at Osun State University and a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Department of African Studies and Anthropology at the University of Birmingham. He is the Nigerian Co-ordinator of the ‘Knowing Each Other’ ERC grant on ‘Everyday Religious Encounter in Southwest Yorubaland’. He has written extensively on African History including contributions to “Beyond Religious Tolerance – Muslim, Christian and Traditionalist Encounters in an African Town” (2017) and “Critical Perspectives on Peace, Conflict and Warfare in Africa” (2012).