Lafia Journal of Religion and Humanities

The thrust of this paper is a critique of the work of Alamu, on the place of African Ancestors in the age of modernity. It also sets to inform the public that despite the coming of Western civilisations and globalising forces, African Ancestors are still relevant to those who hold them in high esteem. Africans venerate Ancestors because of the crucial roles they are playing in the community. They are the intermediaries of the people, seers, and they abate calamities coming to their loved ones. They also bring good fortunes in the community and to individuals. But, the advent of Christianity and Islam brought a drastic shift from the tradition of revering African Ancestors to pledging allegiance to the Ancestors of either Christianity or Islamic religions. The methodology is qualitative. The study argues that it is on this ground that, the African Ancestors became mute to the social ills in the society. The work rejects the idea of letting the Ancestors to rest, since today in Nigeria, the Nationalists are treated as Ancestors by naming Federal institutions, roads, and other important establishments after them. The paper concludes that Ancestors cannot be laid to rest in this age of modernity, because the place of Ancestors in African society varies. There are family, clan, community, and ethnic group Ancestors, and all are working today based on the role they are saddled with. Their quietness to social ills does not mean they are weak.

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