Singer, Abolore Adegbola Akande aka 9ice, has called for renewed efforts to correct the misrepresentation of African traditional religion, saying years of colonisation have distorted the true essence of African spirituality and cultural identity.
The ‘Gongo Aso’ singer made this known while reflecting on the erosion of African beliefs and the growing need to re-educate the younger generation on indigenous values and spiritual heritage.
According to 9ice, colonisation didn’t just change Africa’s political and social landscape; it also reshaped people’s perception of faith, turning what was once sacred into superstition.
“As Africans, we’ve passed through so many processes and changes because of colonisation,” 9ice said. “It changed us as a people, our religion, and our background. Ifa is now becoming a new thing to us, but it was our beginning before the white man came, so we need to preach more about it.”
The award-winning singer further criticised the way Nollywood has portrayed African deities and spirituality over the years, blaming filmmakers for reinforcing stereotypes that demonise traditional religion.
“For instance, they said Esu is Satan, which isn’t so. Esu is actually the one who has mercy in his hands,” he explained. “Nollywood also played a major role in the misinterpretation of our African religion because most of those making those movies know little or nothing about it.”
