Continuity and Change in African Indigenous Religions: The Digital Impact

The rapid digital transformation presents a dilemma for African Indigenous Religions; the preservation of traditional practices and beliefs in the face of globalizing forces and technological advancements is sacrosanct. Therefore, there is a need to explore how digital platforms can be utilized to sustain and revitalize AIRs without compromising their authenticity and cultural integrity. This paper discusses the interaction between AIRs and digital technologies with special attention paid to the ways AIRs change and adapt to the ever-changing digital age. Although digital platforms can bring preservation and dissemination opportunities, they also come with issues of authenticity, erosion of culture and generational disconnections. The study is a qualitative one as it involves case studies and ethnography to understand the incorporation of digital technologies in AIRs. Data will be collected through interviews with practitioners and analysis of digital information on AIRs and monitors online religious practices. This study is based on three theories (1) Cultural modernization theory propounded by Inglehart and Welzel which states that cultural values and practices are likely to be altered due to exposure to technology and global modernity. (2) Technology Affordance Theory propounded by Hutchby, which describes the way digital tools allow new ways of practice and communication and limit others. (3) Bhabha and UNESCO Post Colonial Hybridity and diaspora/transnationalism theory are also underpinned in this study, as they shed some light on how native practitioners vigorously reconfigure and mix traditional religious qualities with digital ones, resulting in hybrid qualities instead of renouncing tradition. The research reveals that digital technologies have enabled recording and maintenance of rituals, ceremonies and oral traditions, transmitted generationally and this is important because oral tradition and African culture would be retained through archival technology. The paper recommends that practitioners of AIRs should encourage dialogue between older and younger generations to bridge the gap between traditional practices and digital innovations so that AIRs will always stand the taste of time and global trends.