“The role of religions in the domination of African civilsations was ruthless. There is no exception.”
Dr. John Henrik Clarke’s quote is not a call to abandon faith. It is a demand that we, as students of Black history, approach our past with open eyes. It forces us to separate personal spirituality from the historical actions of religious institutions.
When Dr. Clarke speaks of “domination,” he is not referring to a simple, voluntary conversion of faith. He is describing a holistic system of control that dismantled African societies from the inside out. This domination occurred on multiple fronts:
Domination
Cultural Domination
- Before the arrival of foreign religions, primarily Christianity and Islam, on a large scale, African societies had their own complex and ancient spiritual systems. These systems were deeply ingrained in their culture, laws, science, and social structures. The incoming religions declared these indigenous systems to be “pagan,” “savage,” or “demonic.” This was the first act of psychological warfare. By destroying the spiritual foundation of a people, you make them easier to control. Sacred artefacts were destroyed, oral traditions were ridiculed and suppressed, and community rituals were forbidden.
Political Domination
- Religion was frequently the “spiritual wing of conquest.” Missionaries often preceded soldiers and colonial administrators, mapping territories, gathering intelligence, and pacifying communities by promising salvation while undermining local authority. The infamous “Bible and the gun” strategy saw religious justification used for political seizure. The Berlin Conference of 1884, which carved up Africa among European powers, was framed with the paternalistic language of a “civilizing mission,” a duty to bring Christianity and commerce to the continent—a mission that was carried out with guns and cannons.
Psychological Domination
- Perhaps the most insidious form of domination was psychological. By teaching that the African way of life was sinful and that salvation could only be found through a foreign God and foreign culture, a deep-seated sense of inferiority was instilled. African people were taught to devalue their own names, languages, histories, and even their own physical appearance. This mental colonization is a legacy that generations have fought to overcome.
Ruthless
Dr. Clarke’s use of the word “ruthless” is deliberate and precise. It signifies a process devoid of compassion, carried out with brutal efficiency. The history is written in blood.
- Forced Conversions: Acceptance of the new faith was rarely a peaceful choice. It was often delivered through violence, coercion, and the threat of enslavement or death.
- Justification for Atrocity: Religion provided the moral justification for the most heinous crimes. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was sanctioned by church leaders, with biblical passages like the “Curse of Ham” twisted to portray Africans as a divinely cursed people destined for servitude. The Arab slave trade, which ravaged parts of East and Central Africa for centuries, was similarly pursued under the banner of Islamic expansion.
- Destruction of Knowledge: The ruthlessness extended to knowledge itself. The burning of libraries, the destruction of universities like the one in Timbuktu, and the suppression of African intellectual traditions were acts of cultural genocide. It was an attempt to erase Africa’s history and present the continent as a blank, dark slate that was only “discovered” and given history by outsiders.
No Exception
This is the most challenging part of the quote for many to accept. Does it mean that every missionary was evil? Or that every Muslim or Christian on the continent was a tool of oppression?
No. Dr. Clarke was a master historian who understood nuance. His focus here is on the institutional role of these religions as systems of power. He is not attacking the personal faith of individual believers. He argues that, as state-sponsored or expansionist institutions, neither of the two major foreign religions that sought to convert Africa can be exempted from their role as instruments of conquest.
- Islam: Dr. Clarke acknowledged Islam’s long history in Africa, but he did not shy away from the history of Arab imperialism and the devastating impact of the Arab slave trade, which predated the European trade and enslaved millions of Africans. The initial Jihads in North and West Africa were acts of military and cultural conquest.
- Christianity: In the modern era, European colonialism and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade are inextricably linked to the Church. From the Papal Bulls of the 15th century that authorized the enslavement of “pagans,” to the missionaries who actively supported the colonial project, institutional Christianity was a fundamental pillar of European domination.
Understanding this ruthless history is a vital step in the process of liberation. It allows us to reclaim not only our history but also our spirituality, whether that means returning to ancestral practices, reforming existing faiths to be truly liberating, or forging new spiritual paths altogether. It reminds us that to know where we are going, we must first understand, in unflinching detail, where we have been.