Why I prefer traditional worship over Christianity, Islam – Prof Wole Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has opened up on why he prefers traditional ‘Orisa’ worshipping to Christianity and Islam.

Soyinka said the deepness of faith in Islam and Christianity doesn’t match that of Orisa worshipping for him, adding that Orisa fascinated him a lot more.

According to him, Orisa worshipping is one of the African religions that eschews violence and is more creative.

“I was fortunate to be born in two worlds – the Christian world and traditional Orisa worshippers. My grandfather, until he – poor man – also got converted – he was an Orisa person and a chief, and his (grandfather’s) side (of Orisa) fascinated me a lot more,” the playwright told CNN’s Larry Madowo, during an interview.

He added, “For me, it (Orisa worshipping) was more artistic, creative, and also more mysterious. I don’t find much of the mysterious in Christianity and even less in Islam and that is for a simple reason that I didn’t grow up in a Muslim environment.

“Orisa is open, and very ecumenical and that is why these foreign religions were able to penetrate it and even distort the truth. Because of the generosity of this spirit (Orisa), it is not violent. It is one of those African religions which eschew violence.

“I don’t believe in the Islamic or Christian God and for the adherents of these religions if that makes me an atheist, so I say, I am an atheist. I insisted that all human beings have a certain spiritual core in their being, I believe myself to be a more spirit-sensitive person.”

The literary icon also revealed that he said he doesn’t like to watch anything adapted from his life or works.

“Let me put it this way, turning anything in my life into what other people can watch pains me. It makes me extremely uncomfortable. It’s wrong to say it’s terrific, let me just say I’m detached from it.

“It takes me a while to bring myself to watch me.”