| Abstrakt: |
The social institution of marriage, deeply established in the Nsukka cultural area long before the advent of Christianity, has undergone profound transformations due to the influence of Westernisation and Christianity. This seismic shift extends beyond marriage to impact all facets of the people’s cultural life. It has permeated nearly all African societies, leaving Africans with what appears to be a solitary choice of religious and cultural syncretism. The use of syncretism to manage the conflicting interests in Christianity and traditional religions is most evident in the Nsukka cultural area, where Christian marriage rituals have become significantly intertwined with traditional marriage rites and concepts, resulting in an uneasy hybridisation. This study, employing ethnographic observation and interview methods, delves into this complex and multifaceted situation to accurately gauge Christianity’s influence on marriage practice and its rituals in the Nsukka cultural area. The research findings reveal that despite the people’s adoption of syncretism in their religious practices, the cultural conflict, particularly in the context of marriage, has strongly fostered inculturation within the Christian church in the area. Nevertheless, the church must aim to transition from inculturation to inter-culturation, which could serve as a new model that might pave the way for a harmonious synthesis of Western and cultural marriage practices in Nsukka Igbo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
