Nigeria Catholicism: A Blend Of Genz Pentecostalism

By Dr. Jarlath Uche Opara

“The Catholic Church in Nigeria is gradually turning into what we once knew mockingly as Ųka-akụlaka. This term was used in those days to disparagingly describe Pentecostal worship styles characterized by clapping, dancing, and energetic body movements.

Sadly, this once-distinct expression of worship has found its way into the Catholic Mass, altering its deeply rooted traditions of solemnity and reverence”.

The above was culled from an untitled piece by Ngigi Nwachukwu posted on one of the platforms I belong to by a classmate. I guess Ngigi is an ex-seminarian who had strict catholic background helmed around with liturgical traditions so solemn growing up.

He seemed miffed how fast such has been erroded with all manner of dance, songs and gyrations making it difficult for one to recognize catholic traditional liturgy from the Genz styled pentecostalism.

This piece reminds me of my discussion with a Ugandan in my Parish. After one of the evening Masses I engaged him on a random conversation. Prior to that, I had seen him on one of the sunday Masses, dressed in his well sewn Ugandan dress. It caught my attention.

That evening I first relaxed him by complimenting the attire I saw him on the previous Sunday. He felt elated and well disposed, then the conversation.

I asked him to compare the way they worship in Uganda with the way we do here in Nigeria. For him we worship with so much energy, loud music, dancing unlike in Uganda where liturgical celebration is done with more of solemn songs.

Each of them no doubt reflects the cultural background of the two nations without detracting from the very essence of the liturgy. I have equally watched with keenness the various moments of liturgical celebrations at St Peter’ square Rome, solemness remains the halmark with no funfair, abracadabra dance, meaningless lyrics and funny hair styles and piercing of noses, ears etc of male choir members.

There is a unique calmness that pervades the ambience, making the liturgy more resourcefully imparting, being introspective than the roaring sound of drums, shouting voices of choir, echoing more of the beats and lyrics of jazz, blues, highlife and hip-pop songs, baptized and confirmed as gospel music.

Lest you get me wrong and interprete me out of context. I am not condemning vibrancy in whorship. I am not either casting aspersion at songs that uplift and make congregants alive and active. I am rather trying to draw an intricate line of demarcation between gospel music of praise and worship and a delibrate adaptation of afrobeats, hip- pop etc as gospel music, the latter being the achilles heel in our Nigerian catholic churches

I have seen “igba Eze” perform in churches with people’ graceful dance steps. I have witnessed too the Zumutamata perform with energy and grace, same with the Igala, Idoma, Tiv etc each of these are unique, expressing their love for God from their traditional point. I like them and relish every moment of their display.

My challenge therefore is turning the church during Mass into a mini disco hall with songs that are miles away from praise and worship. It makes me worry about the future of the church in the hands of this Genz generation who see no problem with dancing suggestively to the lyrics that have no semblance of gospel music right inside the church during Mass.

It worries me too, how we have hit the lowest button of our decency sensitivity, allowing male instrumentalists with unnatural Rastaferian hairs whose ears, noses etc are pierced in a most obnoxious manner stand and perform.

Most often those are hired men who play or sing for a living, tranversing from hotels, night clubs, churches, etc playing for money.

Singing and playing of instrumentals are critical and very sensitive part of the liturgy. What comes from the choir stand in addition to the homily feeds the spirit of the congregants either with balanced or chaff menu.

By the way, Lucifer was such an amazing singer with a voice so charming and electrifying. Though a fallen Angel now, his gift did not leave him.

This calls for caution on who sings and plays what during Mass, lest souls become enchanted with songs and rhythms that are everything but godly

I am not judging anybody, I am equally not condemning them, my sincere and candid observation is, there are rules, boundaries, norms and traditions. To say the truth, none of what we experience in some Parishes is within the original catholic traditions. The windows of the Nigeria catholic church is flung open, too wide. A lot had gone in without check and balances.

The liberalism is way off control and if nothing is done our liturgy by gradual errosion would have lost its original sacredness, calmness, introspectiveness and deep meditation with the funfair destraction of this “Genz pentecostalism” being the supposedly Knight in the shining armour

Mass is a solemn liturgical exercise not a funfair. Mass is meditative and shouldn’t be characterised with tainting noise in the name of songs and percussion, way off the lines of decency.

Mass is a divine channel of communion with God not a playing to the gallery orchestral display for entertainment.

When the solemn and sacred display of Mass is subsumed into a “Genz Pentecostal” songs and gyration, one may be attending Mass without the Mass’ spiritual benefits of resuscitation, reinvigoration and inner healing taking flesh in ones life.

Priests should be strict custodians of this sacred tradition without indulging unnecessarily to the volcanic eruption of new wave whirlwind of “Genz Pentecostal” liberalism.

We can dance, sing soul lifting praise and worship but they should be done strictly within the boundaries of decency and sacredness. Many Parishes today have become drama stages, podium for comedy and platforms for night club kind of songs and dance all in the effort to make the church conventionally compliant with the trend out there.

Catholic Church is a brand. The biggest brand for that matter in church circles. Her ways of worship not less a brand too. It can’t be allowed to be infiltrated with a lesser brand, rather its brand should be one that sets the pace, trailing the blaze and defiling contamination when they rear their ugly heads.

When Gwo gwo ngwo song and dance steps surfaced it nearly became a liturgical song because of the gullibility of some Priests and choir members.

I am a Catholic and proudly so, with a conservative mind, doted with decent liberalism.

*MY LAST LINE* Mass isn’t an entertainment galore rather a spiritual copulation. Any song during Mass that isn’t able to achieve solemn intimacy between humanity and divinity for a spiritual birth and rebirth is at best either a drama, a comedy or an orchestra for emotional massaging.

Watch out for my next Concern: *Catholics and their too many side chicks*