Traditional Religion and Modernity in Kofi Awoonor’s “The Cathedral”

Abstract

African Traditional Religion (ATR) has been undergoing subtle transitions and alterations over the 
years. Recent study shows a significant threat of extinction due to the rapid infiltration of the forces 
of globalization and modernism (Chitando et al 2020). Modernism has influenced African Indigenous 
Faiths and practices of some African Societies is the new point of call for research in African 
Traditional Religious Studies (ATRS).
These transitions have been taking place from the inception of colonialism through to the 
post colonial era and to modern times. The Aim of this study is to look at African Traditional Religion 
through the lenses of modernism, while drawing inference from Kofi Awoonor’s evocative poem, 
"The Cathedral," the stark contrast between the towering Christian edifice and the sacred baobab tree 
symbolizes the complex interplay between African Traditional Religion (ATR) and modernity. 
Awoonor's poignant verses delve into the cultural tensions that arise when traditional beliefs and 
practices are challenged by the imposition of Western ideologies. The poem opens with a striking 
image of the baobab tree, a revered symbol of life and ancestral wisdom in ATR. Its roots anchor it 
deeply to the land, connecting it to the past and the spirits that inhabit the natural world. The baobab's 
presence stands in stark contrast to the "concrete cathedral" that has been erected in its place, a symbol 
of the encroaching Western influence that seeks to replace traditional beliefs with a foreign worldview. 
Awoonor's language is laced with irony and subtle critique as he juxtaposes the cathedral's imposing 
architecture with the baobab's organic form. The cathedral, with its "iron ribs" and "glass eyes," 
appears cold and sterile, devoid of the spiritual connection that the baobab embodies. The poem's 
speaker laments the loss of connection to the land and the ancestral spirits, a loss that mirrors the 
erosion of ATR in the face of modernization.