The Department of World Religions wants to thank Oludamini Ogunnaike, Associate Professor of African Religious Thought and Democracy at the University of Virginia, and all of the faculty, students, and community members who attended the Abbie Ziffren Lecture this Spring 2025!
Prof. Ogunnaike's presentation, "When the Elephants Fight, the Grass Suffers: A Contemporary Account of 'Religious' Competition and Conflict among the Yoruba of Nigeria," highlighted the historical and modern challenges in comparative West African religious thought and practice. Evolving issues of technology, syncretism, coloniality, aesthetics, education, and markets were discussed alongside complex theological innovations among the Yoruba. Prof. Ogunnaike addressed these dynamics in order to deconstruct the assumption of Nigeria as a passive recipient of Christian/Western or Islamic/Arabic colonial influence rather than active participant in a dialectical influence upon both Christian/Western and Islamic/Arabic behaviors and beliefs. How might leaving these assumptions unchallenged lead to legacies of conflict, rather than competition, among religious communities, identities, and practitioners? Prof. Ogunnaike engaged in a robust Q&A, and we are tremendously thankful for all who participated in the Ziffren this year!
