The Journal of Religion and Theatre, Vol. 5, No. 2, Fall 2006 Religion as an Ideological Weapon in Africa: A View From the Stage By Patrick J. Ebewo [p. 115] It is a widely held view that some advanced nations of the world have employed several and varied tactics to institutionalize their ideological concepts in poverty-stricken Africa. While political and economic strategies are more often used in this regard, many are unaware of the misappropriation of religion to serve as a "mind-forg'd manacle" which aids in the imprisonment of the reasoning faculties of many Africans who unwittingly surge forward to embrace the gospel. Much more than any other thing, Chinua Achebe has center-staged religion as a rallying point in the disintegration of Umuofia community as presented in his celebrated fiction, Things Fall Apart (1958). Despite its undeniable advantages, in contemporary times, many African writers have come to view religion as an ideological weapon in Africa. This essay takes a look at how two African playwrights – Ngugi wa Thiong'o of Kenya and Zakes Mda of South Africa, have used theater to depict the savory relationship between religion and contesting ideologies. In our attempt to analyze the presentation of religion in the works of the two playwrights, it is important to determine how the key term "religion", is to be used. More often, definitions of religion stress the relationship between humankind and God while leaving out man's relationship with his neighbors. For the purpose of this presentation, we shall rely greatly on Nabofa's definition of religion which includes specifically man-to-man relationship as well as man's connection with his God, the Ground of his being or existence. (1) In this essay, the religious duty of man to his neighbor is very crucial; for it is in the performance or non-performance of such desired duties, which constitutes the core of our discourse. While a dramatist like Wole Soyinka concentrates his efforts on the abuse of religion by selfish individuals and gullible followers in post-colonial West Africa, Ngugi deals with religious infringements in the neo-colonial East African country of Kenya. With ideological abuse of religion by the colonial and neo-colonial exploiters, Ngugi, like Engels believes that the first word of religion is a lie. (2) [p. 116] Though Ngugi was originally born into a Christian family, he later abandoned his Christian faith because of the series of contradictions he saw in the church. Christianity, whose basic doctrine hinges on love and equality between people, was an integral part of that social force – colonialism – which in Kenya was built on the equality and hatred between men and the consequent subjugation of the black race by the white race. (3) Ngugi has often noted with disgust how Christianity has aligned itself with the ruling class and given the lie to its own protestations of support for a humanistic vision of life. Killam further traces how the church, in the views of Ngugi "has always been in alliance with the ruling class and adjusted its precepts to suit the need of that class, thus guaranteeing