Judaism in Tropical Africa

This article is devoted to the emergence and formation of Jewish and Jewish self-identification of the Igbo people (Nigeria). Igbo are one of the ethnic groups of Tropical Africa who consider themselves the Jews of the African diaspora. African Jews pose the question of their Jewish identity in two ways: religious and ethnic. As a result of decades of British colonialism and missionary activity of the colonialists, the Igbo was Christianized, however, many of those who now profess Christianity consider themselves descendants of the lost "tribes of Israel", and the traditional religion of their ancestors is a remnant form of Judaism. The group self-identification of the Igbo as Jews and descendants of the lost tribe of Israel took shape already in the postcolonial period. After the Igbo proclaimed independence from Nigeria in the form of the Republic of Biafra (1967-1970) and the bloody civil war that began after that, the Igbo's self-identification with the Jews, who also suffered genocide in their history, intensified and acquired a new depth. The Igbo considered themselves victims of genocide, just like the Jews who survived the Holocaust, also felt they were residents of a besieged territory, like the state of Israel. Under the influence of these events, in the second half of the 20th century, part of the Igbo ethnos began to transform their religious identity and declared that they were not only descendants of the ancient Israelites, but Jews. This group heralded a new phenomenon of African Judaism, when African religious traditions mixed with Christianity were supplanted by a new Jewish identity. The article examines how the religious status of Igbo Jews, confirming their own cultural identity, is primarily associated with the country's political history. The search and approval of a new religious self-identification of Igbo Jews acts as a means of interpreting and resolving conflict life experience. The question of the genetic proximity of Igbo and ancient Jews is still open

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Christianity · Colonialism · Diaspora · Ethnic group · Ethnology · Genocide · Igbo · Israelites · Judaism · Political science · Sociology · Tribe · Anthropology · Gender Studies · History · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Sociopolitical Dynamics in Nigeria · Religious studies

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