A former Catholic Priest has sparked reactions on the internet after a video of him performing African traditional religioius rites went viral.
Dr. Echezona Obiagbaosogu who served as a Catholic priest for 17 years, decided to go back to the ways of his ancestors.
During his Doctorate degree dissertation presentation and defence, Dr. Obiagbaosogu who researched on the topic “Rainmaking and Control in Igbo African Medicine” claimed his true calling is in African traditional religious practice, which his grandfather had practiced.
He noted that he is no longer of the Christian faith and has resigned his duties as a clergyman in the Catholic Church, revealing that his father was a Christian, however, he did not stop practicing the African spirituality.
Dr. Obiagbaosogu is a professor of Traditional Religion at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, in Anambra State, and is fascinated by the African spirituality and medicine.
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“I have come to realize that my true calling is to serve my people through the ancient traditions of our ancestors. I was a Catholic priest for 17 years before resigning to embrace the traditional African religion. The topic of my research is ‘Rainmaking and control in Igbo African medicine: A case study of Isieke in Ihiala Local Government Area, Anambra State’.
“I partly lived with my maternal grandfather, who was a traditionalist, while my father was a Christian before he passed away. Though he was a Christian, he still believed in traditional materials. He was an agriculturist with trees around the compound and always brought in new ones, some of which he said were medicinal.
“So, I learned from him to appreciate nature. My background is also significant. I was once a Catholic priest—Rev. Father. I began this research as a priest five years ago and then left the priesthood, so now I am married,” he said according to The Punch.
The Punch quotes him saying; “Everything about this research stems from my curiosity about nature and God. The research reflects my curiosity about spirituality and the nature of God. As a priest, I had the opportunity to work in health sectors, and I understand what health is all about.”
“I conducted this research with the intention of recovering our lost African values. There was one of my father’s friends, and when I was in the seminary, I founded a school called the Society for African Culture.
“During that period, we invited my father’s friend to demonstrate that rainmaking was possible. He came and made it rain. This experience led me to investigate it in an academic way.
“My research in rainmaking and control is rooted in finding the truth and understanding how native doctors contribute to preserving African values. I discovered that it is indeed a reality and done by dibia (native doctors). I am not turning my back on God, but rather, I am embracing the divine in a more meaningful and authentic way.”
“Civilisation began with magic, moved to religion, and today we are talking about nanoscience and other fields. The white man was able to explore these magical laws, codify them, and call them science. So, science is essentially what was once magic.
“We can also access these magical laws, which we call African magic or religion. It is not the African magic of Nollywood. The African magic of Nollywood is one of the tools used to destroy our culture and values. African magic is actually African science, which remains unexplored. We must begin to modify, codify, and document it for posterity.”
Dr. Obiagbaosogu while talking about his decision to leave the priesthood, said, “Life is a process. Things happen, and people begin to look left and right.
“One important thing is for the person to know themselves. If you understand yourself and remain open to reality, you will begin to make decisions for your life.”
