An upcoming gathering of humanists in Owerri, Imo State, Southern Nigeria
A forum will be coming together of a bunch of Humanists in Owerri, Imo State, Southern Nigeria. It is the capital of Imo State. The intention is to give a platform for humanists and freethinkers to have community and do what communities do: share ideas, experiences, and time together.
The goal is to galvanize the population, the local one, in Owerri to be able to found, maintain, and grow a state chapter of the Humanist Association of Nigeria or the HAN. In a marginalized community, based on demographics of belief, this could be a great opportunity to develop that sense of shared community and spirit.
As Igwe notes (2018), the dominant belief system or worldview in Imo State is Christianity. To have a community stationed and built by, and for, the non-religious, especially the proactive form of it in the humanist population, is an important step for equality, as far as I am concerned.
Igwe quips that it is the “Bible Belt” of Nigeria. In other words, Christianity is taken very, very seriously in this region, so this can, in a way, make the foundation of an outlet for those who do not adhere to the dominant faith there doubly important.
As I have found in conversation with people who know the region better than others, or those who grew up and…
