RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM AND IDEOLOGICAL CONFLICT IN AHMED YERIMA’S ATTAHIRU AND ODENIGBO
Authors: Michael O. Ejiodu, Divine O. Ogede
Publication Details
Published: July 16, 2025
Reference: Volume 9, Issue 1
Abstract
This paper explores the theme of religious fundamentalism as dramatized in Ahmed Yerima’s plays Attahiru and Odenigbo. These plays foreground how religion is manipulated by characters as a tool for oppression, resistance, and identity formation. Drawing on New Historicism and supported by recent scholarship, this study shows how Yerima presents religious fundamentalism as both a social affliction and a vehicle for political ambition. Through close textual analysis, it is demonstrated that religious dogma, when absolutised, can result in the erosion of communal harmony and personal agency. The study concludes by advocating a reimagining of religion as a pluralistic and human-centred force and suggests further inquiry into religion’s evolving role in postcolonial African drama. Also, focusing on immediate environment, the paper further concludes that in a time when religious zealotry and fanaticism have constituted potent challenges in Nigeria and around, Yerima’s Attahiru and Odenigbo encourage audience to ponder on the historical origins of religious conflict and to seek measures that balance faith with reason, tradition with progress, and belief with critical thought.
Full Text (PDF)
Preview:
How to Cite
Michael O. Ejiodu, Divine O. Ogede. (2025). RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM AND IDEOLOGICAL CONFLICT IN AHMED YERIMA’S ATTAHIRU AND ODENIGBO. ABIA JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES , Volume 9 (1) .