On 17 September, Marie Lureau, research project manager at IFRA-Nigeria, will present her work in an interactive methodological seminar on “Non-religion in Nigeria: exploring (un)belief.” According to both general perceptions and statistics from the 2024 Afrobarometer, being “non-religious” is extremely rare in Nigeria. Despite this, atheism and other forms of “non-religion” or “unbelief” attract increasing public interest and press coverage.
This leads us to question how these phenomena manifest in a country where religion is such an important part of public and private lives. In this regard, Africa is for now quasi-absent from the field of “secularism studies”. We must therefore ask: what does a “non-religious” life look like in Nigeria? What are the forms of secularities created in this country, and how are they different from ones studied in the West? What are the origins and influences of such ideas in the Nigerian context?
Discussing these questions forces us to see religion and non-religion, belief and unbelief, not as polar opposites, but as categories in constant interactions with one another. Understanding the specific manifestations of secularity in Nigeria demands to take a closer look at these complex interactions, and to question what is the best terminology to encompass them.
This seminar will be a part of the research itself, as it aims to create a moment of dialogue with the participants on what is belief, on the place of secularism in Nigeria, and what non-religion can look like in this context.
Practical information:
Date & time: 17 September, 10am to 12pm
Venue: IFRA-Nigeria Resource Centre, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan
Registration (before 14/09): https://forms.gle/tgX6QYPJjjgHphQg9