Africa’s Triple Religious Heritage

In this lecture and conversation, Dr Olukoya Ogen takes us through the historic and contemporary relationship between Africa’s three religions.

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. Jumping off from his 2017 co-edited collection, “Beyond Religious Tolerance: Muslim, Christian and Traditionalist Encounters in an African Town”, Dr Ogen explores the realities of the pluralist paradigm in Yorubaland.

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, Dr Ogen considers the impact of pluralism on indigenous epistemologies, pedagogies and identity, and shares his thoughts on the future of religious tolerance within African identity.