A review of the Bottled Leopard
I woke up this morning with the story of the Biblical King Nebuchadnezzar on my mind, the king who was banished by the power of God into the forest to live like an animal because of his pride. I did a double check in my bible and it seemed i was discovering the story for the first time.
It reminded me of the armed robber in Kwara state (Nigeria) who reportedly transformed into a goat and was paraded by the Ilorin state police command. The story was reported on TV continental, and i recall
It made me realise how we very often reason according to our senses which is limited to the physical.
In fact the verdict given by the law court that prosecuted the human goat or as the case may be, the transformed goat, was that, the constitution does not recognise voodoo. Thus the goat was auctioned for three hundred naira.
This train of thought continued for a while until it reached a bend. Then I realised my mind wasn’t playing hide and seek with me but was processing similar information it had been taking in for the past week. I had been reading the bottled leopard by Chukwuemeka Ike and the thoughts were forming in my subconscious for another review attempt.
African traditional religion has often been condemned for being fetish and with some evil tendencies. While some of such condemnation stem from the western belief, others arise from a new age of Christianity, doggedly opposed to the way our opposed to the way our forefathers worshipped. Both are similar in that, the west is responsible for the introduction of Christianity to these parts in the first place.
Religion is dogma. The metaphysical realm cannot be fully appreciated or understood by the world’s limited intellect. Empirical study and personal experience could result in conviction and mysterious proof of communion. But that’s about it for every religion. While there are some potent signs and wonders that accompany some of these religions, an analysis of them will only stir a needless theological debate which would be needless and in the end only seeking to proof religious supremacy and authority.
More importantly and for the reason of this discourse, it is only an ifa adherent that can only fully explain what Olodumare looks like or how he governs the world from his abode. It is only the Christian who’s passed on and gone to be with the Lord that can give experiential knowledge of what the almighty looks like.
While I do not subscribe to African traditional religion, i have seen and read enough to help me know better than to dismiss it out rightly.