EFFECT OF GLOBALIZATION ON TRADITIONAL AFRICAN RELIGION

Abstract

There has been increasing concern over the years by scholars and workers on how the world is being compressed into a single space now referred to as “global village”. Countries at various stages of development are increasingly forced to take account of an ever expanding interconnection of socio-cultural issues and religions in the management of their national affairs. The states are increasingly losing their capacity to govern and to regulate in an increasing borderless world with an increasing homogenization and domination of traditional African religion. African societies are forced to accepting uniform moral principles of what is right, wrong belief, within their global religions. Scholars and writers often focus on economic aspect of globalization while neglecting other aspects especially its religious aspect. This paper seeks to examine the concepts of globalization, religion, relationship between religion and globalization and the impact of globalization on “African traditional religion”. The methods of description and comparison were used in the research. Secondary source of data was used for the study. Although, globalization results to religious identity, hybridization of religions, peaceful coexistence and cultural revival, it can also lead to failure of hybridity, anti-rationalist faiths and devaluation of African culture and religion.