Thesis Topic No.

2: Relationship of Religious Indoctrination and Fanaticism and Underdevelopment in

Africa

Research Question: Can religious indoctrination and fanaticism define africa's prolonged "Dark Age" of
underdevelopment?

African nations are one of the poorest nations in the world. Among the root causes of their
underdevelopment status are slave trade, colonialism, lack of national identity, structural adjustment
programs, mallaria fall out, etc. However, Leo Igbe, an African Human Rights Activists, proposes in his
articles (which can be retrieved from http://www.iheu.org/taxonomy/term/443) that Africa's religious
indoctrination and fanaticism must be considered as one of the important root causes of their
underdevelopment. Igbe argues that religious indoctrination and fanaticism has resulted to their “failure
of family upbringing, failure of human rights and the rule of law, failure of educational system, social
and political pressure and bad governance".

The researchers share the sentiments of Leo Igbe. Do lack of nationalism, colonialism, SAPs, various
diseases solely brought African nations into catastrophe? Is the local state of Malawi as well as the
internationl community not appalled by those children who committed suicide after praying? Why is
religion forced and not given by choice? Does the mixture of religion and poltics sound the times of
"Dark Ages"? Does Africa reflect the Dark Age of our time?

It is hightime to examine Africa's so-called "religious indoctrination and fanaticism", each human rights
violation done, the respones of African states and the actions taken by the international community
regarding this issue.