Eze, Okorie Igodo, (Ph.D.)
Department of Religion
Ebonyi State College of Education, Ikwo.
Abstract.
The Igbo traditional society of pre-colonial Nigeria was a typical scene of the grim
encounter between western civilization and traditional religion. The idea of a new god
who saw everything about African religion as evil was not acceptable to the
traditionalists. They fought to protect their culture but were overpowered by the white
man whose superior firepower was dreaded. In the end, the white man succeeded in
demystifying the fear surrounding evil forests, destroying in the process bad elements
such as human sacrifice, killing of twins and other evil practices through his religion.
This paper therefore examines Chinua Achebe’s work “Things Fall Apart” in relation to
religious change brought to the Nigerian society by the Europeans. This study is a critical
analysis of the impact this change has brought with a view to highlighting the problems
of the dislocation of the people from the cherished values, virtues and morals of their
culture. Adults now behave like youths and the youths are reckless in the way they think
reason and relate with one another. The result is the irrepressible corruption which has
characterized the modern Igbo society. It is like a generational curse which has refused to
go because all efforts to get the youths imbibe these ethical principles has proved
abortive. This accounts largely for the degeneration of Igbo society. Government should
harness the moribund legacies of the traditional system of government such as the
priesthood and diviners in order to provide alternative means of settling disputes, of
determining the truth in disputed matters, oath taking, foretelling the future to protect the
Nigerian society against death, killing of innocent people, heinous crimes, corruption
and all sorts of pestilence that have become the order of the day.
KEYWORDS: Religious change, Change, Critique.
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