CHRISTIANITY AND THE FUTURE OF IKEJI FESTIVAL OF ARONDIZUOGU

Abstract

In pre-Christian Igbo-land, traditional religion played a significant role in shaping behaviour, social and cultural identifications, and principles of socialisation. However, with colonialism and the advent of Christian missionaries, Igbo-African cultural values were largely marginalized and viewed as pagan and fetishistic, largely due to their unfamiliarity to western missionaries. Despite this historical context, the Ikeji festival remains a culturally significant event among the Arondizuogu people of Igbo-land, despite being challenged by Christians as unchristian and superstitious. This paper advocated for a reconsideration of the relationship between Christianity and Ikeji festival. This reconsideration is based on the fact that, despite Christian disregard for the festival, it continues to hold a significant place in the cultural heritage of the predominantly Christian Arondizuogu people. As such, the paper called for a new approach that will facilitate the Christianization of Ikeji festival and the Igbonization of the Christian faith. It, therefore, adopted Inculturation as a theoretical framework, which served as a negotiation tool for the discourse. The hermeneutic and Igwebuike theological approaches were also adopted for the interpretation of Ikeji festival and the establishment of a connection between Christianity and culture, respectively. This paper serves as a valuable contribution to the limited literature on the relationship between Christianity and Ikeji festival.