Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

This article examines the intricate relationship between African oral literature performance traditions and the expansion of Christianity in Nigeria from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century. It argues that the remarkable growth of Christianity in Nigeria was significantly facilitated by the appropriation, adaptation, and integration of indigenous oral literary performance elements, including narrative storytelling, poetic chants, songs, proverbs, riddles, drum language, and dramatic rituals, into Christian worship, evangelism, and theological expression. Drawing on the oral literature scholarship of Ruth Finnegan, this study demonstrates that oral literature performance was a crucial vehicle for the indigenisation of the Christian message across missionary, prophetic, and Pentecostal movements. It answers the following questions: What role did oral literature play in the growth of Christianity in Nigeria, and how did Nigerian Christians utilise their oral literary traditions to translate, interpret, and embody Christian teachings in culturally resonant forms? What are the positive and negative effectsof this synthesis on conversion experiences and community engagementin Nigerian society in general? The study employs a qualitative historical and literary analysis of secondary sources, including missionary historical accounts, records ofNigerian Christian movements and ethnographic research of Nigerian oral traditions, to examine the relationship between African oral literature performance and the growth of Christianity in Nigeria.

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