Christianity: An Attack on the True African Identity in Anyidoho’s Go Tell Jesus and Awoonor’s The Cathedral.

Abstract

In Colonial Africa, Falola cites Tishkin’s argument that missionaries weakened indigenous culture, enforced colonial law, and used Christianity to project the supernatural power of the white man, thereby undermining African spiritual authority. As a result, many Africans became Christianized and Europeanized, losing their cultural identity. Consequently, much of African literature reflects the effects of slavery, colonialism, Christianity, and neo-colonialism on the continent’s people. Within this tradition, Anyidoho’s Go Tell Jesus and Awoonor’s The Cathedral express grievances and protest against the destruction of the authentic African milieu.

Adopting a postcolonial literary perspective and purposive sampling, this paper qualitatively examines the two poems. The study reveals that both works portray Christianity as usurping the peace and unity sustained by African faith, thereby serving as a critique of European incursion. It also observes tonal variations, with the persona in Go Tell Jesus adopting a sarcastic voice while The Cathedral conveys an aggressive and harsh tone. The paper concludes that Anyidoho and Awoonor employ poetry as a form of cultural resistance, depicting Christianity as a disruptive force that distorted spiritual truth and eroded indigenous identity. Through diverse poetic devices the poets heighten their critique in Go Tell Jesus mirror the instability of missionary discourse. The Cathedral also evokes misfortune, underscoring the destructive impact of European incursion. The paper recommends further research into the imagery of both poets to deepen understanding of African identity in their works and expand existing scholarship.

Keywords: African Identity, Christianized, Europeanized, African Traditional Religion, Attack, Resistance.

DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/108-05

Publication date:October 31^st 2025