For God and Glory: Perceptions on Indigenization of Clerical Vestments in the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)

Abstract

Religious personnel have always been unique in their costumes that depict ranks, nature of ceremony and roles in a given cultic rite. That the splendid vestments have always been culturally related and significant accounts for debates and modifications. For Africans, when it comes to the fabrication of liturgical attires, the focus is not necessarily on the need for change as much as the nature and extent of the Africanness in Christianity. This paper appraises the perceptions of what the contemporary styles of liturgical vestments like the chasuble, stole and cope in the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) should be. The work evaluates calls for contextualization, nature and extent of such changes in the materials, colours, embellishment, symbolism, and implications. The authors adopted the qualitative approach, carried out a bibliographic survey and conducted interviews with a focused group and key informants. Data collected was limited to purposively selected priests, parishioners and vestment makers across Yoruba land, South-Western Nigeria. The findings reveal divergent views on cravings for indigenization of the priestly sartorial spectrum, what constitutes quality, and ingenuity. The authors recommended more appreciation of traditional textiles and elements by the church.