Debating Igbo conversion to Christianity: a critical indigenous view
Abstract
English: Since the 1970s the dynamics of conversion have been a focal point of research with
regard to the impact of Christianity on traditional African societies. Much of the scholarly
debate about the matter has concentrated on West Africa. Such academic authorities
as Elizabeth Isichei, Robin Horton, and Caroline Ifeka-Moller provided different
theories about the relative importance of various factors. Within the genre of the novel,
West African writers like the Ibgos Chinua Achebe, John Munonye, and T. Obinkaram
added their voices to the debate through their fictional reconstructions of the confrontation
of missionary Christianity and traditional cultures. That of Onuora Nzekwu
is explored in this article.