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The Celestial City: “Mormonism” and American Identity in Post-Independence Nigeria
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 June 2020
Abstract:
This article uses the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in post-independence Nigeria to examine the transition from individuated agents of religious exchange to integration into global corporate religiosity. Early Latter-day Saint adherents saw Mormonism as a mechanism by which they could acquire access to monetary resources from a financially stable Western patronage, despite political animosity due to Mormonism's racist policies and sectional tumult during the Nigeria-Biafra war. Drawing on oral and archival records, this article highlights how Mormonism as an American-based faith was able to be "translated" to meet the exigencies of indigenous adherents.
Résumé :
Cet article utilise l'Église Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Ikeja) après l’indépendance du Nigéria pour examiner la transition d'agents d'échanges religieux individualisés vers l'intégration institutionnelle dans la religiosité globale. Les premiers adeptes de Latter-day Saints considéraient le mormonisme comme un mécanisme leur permettant d'accéder aux ressources monétaires d'un patronage occidental financièrement stable et cela malgré une animosité politique ressortant d’une politique raciste du mormonisme et d’un tumulte sectoriel né de la guerre entre le Nigéria et le Biafra. Cet article s’appuie sur des archives verbales et écrites pour souligner comment le mormonisme, en tant que religion américaine, a pu être "traduit" pour répondre aux exigences des fidèles autochtones.
Resumo:
O presente artigo recorre à análise da Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos do Último Dia na Nigéria pós-independência para compreender a transição entre um modelo baseado em agentes individuais de intercâmbio religioso e uma religiosidade corporativa global. Os primeiros seguidores dos Santos do Último Dia viram na religião mórmon um mecanismo através do qual poderiam aceder a recursos monetários assegurados patrocinadores ocidentais financeiramente estáveis, relevando a animosidade política gerada pelas políticas racistas dos mórmones, bem como os tumultos entre fações que surgiram durante a guerra entre a Nigéria e o Biafra. Partindo de registos orais e de arquivo, este artigo explica de que modo a religião mórmon – um credo de origem norte-americana – pôde ser “traduzida” para ir ao encontro das necessidades dos fiéis indígenas.
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