Introduction
One of the most destructive exports of European colonialism wasn’t just the looting of natural resources, the drawing of artificial borders, or the economic sabotage of African economies, it was religious indoctrination. European missionaries came bearing the Bible in one hand and, often silently, clearing the way for the colonizer’s rifle in the other. Africans were told to denounce their gods, abandon their ancestral traditions, and embrace a version of Christianity that emphasized submission, suffering, and silence.
This version of religion taught us to leave everything to God, even things God himself empowered us to take responsibility for, like governance, development, security, and personal well-being.
Meanwhile, the very Europeans who evangelized us were and remain some of the most pragmatic, irreverent, and self-determined people on earth. They do not pray about potholes; they fix them. They do not anoint hospitals; they equip and fund them. They do not pray for good governance, they vote for it. They do not pray to rid themselves of bad governance and policies, they take action. They do not pray against insecurity, the take preventive and defensive measures to counter it. Their societies are not run on miracles; they are run on institutions, innovation, and grit.
The European Contradiction
Let’s be clear: Europe is not as religious as Africa. In fact, most of Europe today is post-Christian, with dwindling church attendance and a deeply secular public life. So many churches have been converted to night clubs and restaurants. Ive partied, ate and lounged at some myself. Truth be told, the same cannot be said about mosques, temples and synagogues.
According to Pew Research, only 11% of Europeans attend church weekly, compared to over 82% in sub-Saharan Africa.
Countries like Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands are among the least religious but rank at the top in human development, education, healthcare, and governance.
European elites, from technocrats to politicians, do not consult pastors or marabouts before they build economies; they consult data, experts, and institutions.
Yet it was these same Europeans who gave us a religion of passivity, while practicing a lifestyle of agency.
The African Contradiction
African Christianity today has morphed into a tragic spectacle:
We pray for jobs, but don’t build factories.
We fast against poverty, but reject scientific thinking and entrepreneurship.
We sow seeds in church, hoping for supernatural wealth, while neglecting savings, investments, and skill-building.
Churches are filled, but schools, labs, and libraries are empty.
This is not Christianity as Christ preached it, it is Christianity as the colonizer packaged it: a spiritual sedative that discourages resistance, critical thinking, and ambition.
How Africa Can Shake Off the Colonial Religious Mentality
- Education Reform and Historical Clarity
Africans must be taught the true history of religion in Africa: that we had spiritual systems, ethics, and civilization long before missionaries arrived.
Schools and communities must engage in open discussions about how religion was used to soften resistance and facilitate colonization.
- Reconstruction of Religious Thought
There is a need to reprogram the African mind to understand that faith is personal, not political, and it is not a substitute for action.
Promote rational spirituality, faith that inspires productivity, invention, and social responsibility.
- Empowering Indigenous Spirituality and Culture
Traditional African spirituality must be re-examined and de-stigmatized, not to return to idolatry, but to reclaim a sense of self-worth, identity, and agency.
We must teach that religion is a medium to access the divine, not a one-size-fits-all instruction to abandon thought and responsibility.
- Develop Afrocentric Theology
Create a new wave of theologians and pastors who preach Christ with context, faith that empowers, not enslaves.
Replace prosperity gospel with productivity gospel, a gospel that teaches work, investment, discipline, and planning.
- Control Religious Spaces
Encourage regulation of religious institutions to ensure they are not preying on the poor or promoting anti-development ideologies.
Empower communities to challenge exploitative teachings and re-align faith with national development goals.
The Path Forward
Africa will only rise when it reclaims its mind. Religion must be put in its rightful place: a personal spiritual compass, not a substitute for civic action, governance, or intelligence.
We need a new indoctrination, one that teaches that God has done His part, and now it’s up to us. We must unlearn the colonial version of religion that tells us to sit and wait, and re-learn the truth: that God blesses the work of our hands, not the wishes of our tongues.
It is time to stop praying for change and start building it.
By Chimazuru Nnadi-Oforgu
Duruebube Uzii na Abosi
OBLONG MEDIA UNLIMITED 
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