THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY ON AFIKAYID TRADITIONAL PLAY OF ORON PEOPLE: A HISTORICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

One of the elements of indigenous cultural practices of the people of Oron that has been greatly influenced by interaction with Christianity is the Afiakeyid. It is observed that, for the past years, exponents of the traditional play have been made elders and pastors in various churches, thereby weakening their participation in the play. Moreover, in many churches within Oron society, the tenets are that carefully formed against Afiakeyid traditional play, tagging it “worldly play” that should not be associated with, despite the values of the play to the Oro people. Consequently, this study examines Christianity’s impact on Afiakeyid traditional play, emphasizing its history and socio-economic analysis. The historical and descriptive designs are used in the study, and key findings indicate that Afiakeyid play is in decline due to an imbalanced view about it in recent years. The influx of migration from rural to urban areas means that many young people who would have promoted the play have moved away from a Oron hence the decline of Afiakeyid. Christianity’s influence on Afiakeyid is, however, based on the discouragement of exponents of the play who are still living in Oro. The study reaffirms Christian teachings in many churches in Oron continually tag cultural plays like Afiakeyid as satanic, thereby reducing the people’s participation in Afiakeyid play. The study further discovered that Afiakeyid is locally a source of livelihood and a great source of entertainment, needing encouragement. The paper, therefore, concludes that there is need to balance modern influences with preservation to ensure development and cultural sustainability, underscoring inclusivity to safeguard Afiakeyid’s relevance. The study recommends that the councils of chiefs in all villages in Oron should encourage this cultural play to be performed in order to keep it alive. Christian leaders in Oron are further called upon to embrace sound cross-cultural communication.