Disillusionment of Religion in Contemporary Nigeria in Wole Soyinka’s Drama and Relevance of African Worldview as a Corrective Mechanism

The religiosity of Africans is premised on their view of religion being able to bring a solution to individual and societal challenges, as well giving them hope for a better future. However, the reverse is the case as contemporary religion and religious practices have been considered a ‘ripoff’ due to diverse and prevailing decadence observed in some religious settings. Therefore, this study aims to portray the reason for this disillusionment of religion in Nigeria using Soyinka’s ‘The Trials of Brother Jero’. Anchoring this study on Afrocentrism, the study further explores the relevance of an indigenous African worldview as a corrective mechanism to decadence in the religion settings. The study concludes that the identifiable societal decadence in the religious setting can be corrected if indigenous African worldviews like loyalty, honesty, ubuntu and truthfulness can be upheld, embraced and emphasized as a binding principle despite the diversity of beliefs and practices in the religious sector.