Churches and Christianity in Igboland
Christianity was initially introduced to Nigeria by the European colonizers in the 15th century. In the beginning, the Igbo people were hesitant to convert to Christianity. At the time, they were worshipping their traditional God (Chukwu or Chineke), Goddess (Ala) and other spirits.
Things Fall Apart, Chapter 17 - Chinua Achebe (Storyboard)
Based on Things Fall Apart, a novel by Chinua Achebe, in Chapter 17 we get to know that when the missionaries first asked for land, where they can build a church to practice Christianity, they were given the evil forest. The elders believed the gods will punish the colonizers and they would die after 28 days.
However, that did not scare or stop the missionaries. Not only did they build the church in the evil forest, but they also attracted many people. In the beginning, it was mainly the outcasts (osu), but also people like Nwoye who were attracted to the new place of worship. The church considered the outcasts as those who are close to and loved by God. It was a place that empowered those who were considered weak based on Igbo traditions and beliefs.
The outcasts or abominations would live away from the villagers and they had “long, tangled hair”, which differentiated them from the rest of the villagers. Twins were also considered outcasts. Hence, Nneka - who had suffered from giving birth to several twins - was among the first few people to convert. But what attracted Nwoye was the music at the church - something that was frowned upon by his father, as it was not something masculine.
Churches seemed less violent and won over many people over a short period of time. Currently, over 49.3% of the total population of Nigeria is practicing Christianity and as of 2019, there are over 16,300 churches in the country.