TRENDS IN THE SHATTERED MICROCOSM OF RELIGIOUS CHANGE IN AFRICA

The religious change in Africa, which is movement from African traditional religion to Christianity and Islam, has been explained by many scholars through pointing out one factor or the other as responsible for the change of faith or religion. Some argued on the side of non-religious factors as the cause of the religious change found in Africa, while some argued on the religious factors as the main cause of the change. The shattered microcosm of Trimingham attributed the movement of religious change to the collapse of traditional structures and African world views. The African structures that originally are based on rural or tribal structures and thrive on rural subsistence economies were shattered with the sudden but steady impact of Western civilization which came in form of colonial subjugation, technological advancement, industrial economies and education. This precipitated the massive change or movement from African traditional religion to the two world religions that invaded the African soil. In this write up, we are going to trace the trends and the implications found in this theory of religious change as explained by Trimingham and what has become of religious change today in Africa whether the change is real change in terms of conversion or change of cults.

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