MONDAY LINES: Federal Republic of Religion By Lasisi Olagunju (Columnist of The Year)

They were called the “A-men” people when they first surfaced in my father’s farmstead in the mid 80s. We were used to hearing Christians say “Aamin” to every line of prayer. Our village was a majorly Muslim community. But there were orthodox Christians with their small church building. Once, we sneaked in there fascinated by the enchanting songs and the expressive dance. The drumbeats, the soulful songs and the measured dance steps were as alluring as the delights of paradise. We thought Christianity was just about those sounds and symbols. Then these new people came. Two struggling young bachelors sauntered into our stead, primarily propelled by the exigencies of life and living. They came and altered the routine we associated with Christianity. They were our village primary school teachers whose new church spoke not the language of the villagers. This new church strangely spoke English and scanty Yoruba. The shout of heavily accented “Amen!” particularly marked out the members. That “A-men!” soon became their sobriquet. For a long time, they remained few but they were unrelenting.