Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Of god and goats
- 2 Religioning elsewhere
- 3 Christianity is not a religion
- 4 Talking like a pirate
- 5 Real world
- 6 Doing violence with impunity
- 7 Respecting relations
- 8 Things full of meaning
- 9 Purity and pilgrimages
- 10 Enchantment and emplacement
- 11 Christians do religion like other people
- 12 Religion is etiquette in the real world
- Bubliography
- Index
8 - Things full of meaning
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Of god and goats
- 2 Religioning elsewhere
- 3 Christianity is not a religion
- 4 Talking like a pirate
- 5 Real world
- 6 Doing violence with impunity
- 7 Respecting relations
- 8 Things full of meaning
- 9 Purity and pilgrimages
- 10 Enchantment and emplacement
- 11 Christians do religion like other people
- 12 Religion is etiquette in the real world
- Bubliography
- Index
Summary
A stroll through any Yoruba town will reveal the highly public presence of religions. As noted in Chapter 2, many of the shops in Abeokuta in southwestern Nigeria display their owners' affiliations in names like a “Holy Family” bookshop or “God is Great” photographic shop. Several shrines – especially that of the orisa Igun, maintained by a group of priestesses – are located in caves or overhangs under Abeokuta's Olumo Rock (comparable to Stonehenge and the Vatican as a fusion of heritage, sacred and tourist site). Christian and Islamic groups are represented within this religious built environment not only by churches and mosques but also by schools, clubs and the offices of charitable institutions that declare their affiliations. Then, as Afe Adogame points out:
It is not uncommon for a casual observer walking on the streets of a traditional Yoruba town or village to confront certain objects such as cooked or raw food, a decapitated bird or animal, eggs, cowry shells, coins, candles, etc., in a clay bowl or pot, conspicuously displayed at a road junction, road intersection, or at the foot of a gigantic Iroko tree.
(Adogame 2009: 75)He identifies these as offerings or sacrifices, ritually offered to avert calamity, request help, fulfil vows, and/or ensure cosmic balance and social cohesion.
Quite what this diversity of religious presence and practice means requires careful consideration. A number of people in Nigeria told me that commonly cited national statistics for religious affiliation are misleading. At least in part this is because religions are treated (everywhere, not only in Nigeria) as monolithic blocks with secure boundaries and known effects on people’s behaviours.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Food, Sex and StrangersUnderstanding Religion as Everyday Life, pp. 135 - 152Publisher: Acumen PublishingPrint publication year: 2013