Table of contentsThe domination of religious institution in AfricaOverview of religion and its continued dominationMedia as a factor of influence of religious institutions AfricansReligion as a way of living The influence of religion on Arfican Political lifeConclusionReferencesMy idea of ​​religion and its relationship with the media is contained in this essay. I will explore the definitions of “media” and “religion,” providing an overview of “mediatization of religion,” “religion in the media,” and “media religion.” Also in the paper, I present my views on religion, highlighting its “continued dominance on the African continent”, emphasizing its effect on the political and socio-economic of African countries. Although there is virtually no scientific consensus on what precisely constitutes a religion, it is often defined as a sociocultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, of hallowed places, prophecies, ethics or organizations that connect people to supernatural, transcendental and spiritual elements. Different people have different religious beliefs that are unique to their cultural or societal beliefs. On the other hand, media, whether electronic or print, is an integral part of African society and the world at large. Harold Koenig argues that the definition of religion is generally accepted by scholars of religion: it includes beliefs, practices, and rituals related to the sacred, God, the mystical, or the supernatural. Religion is therefore not just a typical function or a variable among other variables: it constitutes the root from which the different branches of life grow, grow and flourish. From this point of view, religion is of integral importance: it concerns the deepest root of human existence and integrates human life into a coherent whole. In mass communication, media are classified as communication channels, media or tools used to store and disseminate information or data. It refers to the components of the mass media communications industry, which include print media, publishing, news media, photography, cinema, broadcasting, digital media and advertising. The final part of this document presents a future projection of religious domination on the African continent, supported by the research works of various theological researchers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Dominance of Religious Institutions in Africa In Africa, the most dominant religious factions are Christianity, Islam, and traditional African religion. The continued dominance of religion in Africa has been studied by various theologians. In a study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2015, only three African countries were in the top 10 in terms of the number of Christians in the population: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia. Together, these nations then represented just over 216 million Christians. In Kenya alone, it is estimated that over 80% of the country's residents are Christian and there are over 4,000 registered churches in the country. The Pew Center recently predicted that there would be approximately 727 million Christians in Africa by 2060. "In total, there are approximately 2.3 billion Christians worldwide and 1.8 billion Muslims," ​​it said. the report. “This gap is expected to narrow by 2060, when . . . there will be 3billion Christians and nearly 3 billion Muslims. This is because Muslims are on average younger and have more children than Christians. » A leading US research group has presented new projections that the number of Christians belonging to various faiths and sects is steadily increasing in Africa and could numerically dominate the faith worldwide for decades to come. Islam, on the other hand, is also gaining dominance. It is estimated that around 44% of Africa's total population of 1.02 billion identify as Muslim, the highest percentage among other continents. This means that around 446 million people are Muslim, with the majority of the faithful found in the northern part of the continent, in countries like Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia. Most experts and media say that about 90 percent of the population is Sunni Muslim and about 10 percent is Christian (estimates vary between 5 and 15 percent). Regardless of the revolting dominance of traditional African religion, it is also estimated that more than 100 million people from 42 countries in sub-Saharan Africa alone continue to adhere to the customs and beliefs of this religion. Oliver Smith, in a simple article, explains the domination of religion in Africa. According to him, “in sub-Saharan Africa, on the other hand, the share of respondents who consider religion to be very important in their daily lives is much higher, ranging from a high of 98% in Ethiopia to a low of 71% in Botswana. . . In all but two countries in the region (South Africa and Botswana), more than 80% of adults say religion is very important to them, giving a regional average of 89% who say this. The figures mentioned above prove the dominance and continued domination of the religious institution on the African continent. In my opinion, the religious institution is the most dominant in Africa, which I support with arguments and facts from a variety of scholars in the remainder of this essay. But first, we need to have an overview of religion in the media and media religion and how the religious institution is becoming dominant on the African continent. Overview of Religion and Its Continued Dominance Religion can be found in all aspects of African society, from the education sector, the health sector, politics and normal daily life. Religious institutions create undergraduate and graduate schools in African communities. For example, in Ghana, the Catholic Church, the Presbyterian Church and the Methodist Church have established schools that promote their dominance in the communities. For example, Adventist Girls High School, Islamic Girls Senior High and Anglican Senior High School, to name a few, are educational institutions established by religious bodies, which allows them to influence their beliefs and ideologies, thereby increasing their dominance. In politics, the religious institution continues to assert its domination by acting as an independent body in the political sphere. Taking Ghana as an exceptional example, the power and authority of the Peace Council, which is mainly made up of religious leaders and the national leader Imam, cannot be underestimated. They are key figures among the country's decision-makers and opinion leaders. In the health sector, religious organizations are always present to help populations, an opportunity that allows them to be the most dominant institution on the continent. For example, St. Lawrence Hospital, Comboni Kyamuhunga Hospital, Kitgum, St. Joseph Hospital, St.Anthony's are a few hospitals established in Uganda by religious institutions. Some scholars have also produced documents on how the religious institution is becoming the most dominant on the African continent. The media as a factor of influence of African religious institutions The media are an essential factor in the domination of the religious institution in Africa. This is done through media ownership by religious bodies, frequent dissemination of media messages and many others. Many of the social functions of religion, particularly as they relate to community building and rituals, have been taken up by the media. And religious institutions themselves have adhered to “media logic,” that is, framing their actions and activities in forms attractive to the media and to the publics who live with the media. The Christian Messenger is a monthly English-language publication and the official newspaper of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. La Voix du Cap, Radio Islam International, Markaz Sahaba Live, Cii Radio and Radio Al Ansaar are some Islamic radio stations in South Africa. Aseda TV, Kiss TV, Fire TV are religious television channels in Ghana. These are just a few media outlets owned by religious groups. In it, I will analyze the relationship between media and religion to explain how religion thrives and reaches a wider audience throughout the day. Religion and media are two interconnected institutions. The relationships that exist between these two institutions are essential to human life. The boundary that exists between media and religion has been studied by various researchers. Continuing these efforts, various researchers have attempted to show the need to build new bridges between religion and the media. These efforts by researchers demonstrate a determination to unify these two important elements of modern human life (media and religion), which historically could also be understood in the context of a more complex relationship between science and religion. So I will present and analyze the relationship between media and religion based on how the media portrays religion in their reporting. Print media and electronic media present religion in different ways; a newspaper may promote a religious organization by publicizing events, or may inform its readership about various aspects of a religion. Other newspapers may write articles about national or international religious events, for example the Hajj or the Vatican's appointment of a new pope. In magazines, there are many religious publications that educate and often promote media messages about religion to support and strengthen people's faith in their practices. Religious groups can use the Internet to their advantage by promoting their religion to the world and bringing followers together by sharing information and using online platforms and social media such as Facebook and YouTube. For example, many religious charities use their websites to alert people about natural disasters around the world and to seek donations online. In Experiments in Devotion Online by Charles Hirschkind: The YouTube KHUT. BA he explains the use of YouTube in the Islamic religion. In his research, he explained that “one genre based on khut.ba that enjoys great popularity among Muslim internet users, and which I explore here, consists of short video segments from Friday khut.ba on YouTube. These khut.ba segments typically last between one and ten minutes and were placed on the site by someone with a YouTube account. TheseAccounts are accessible free of charge to anyone wishing to either publish videos on the site or add responses in the “Comments” section located at the bottom of the video window. In the upper right corner of the YouTube screen is a link to the YouTube account of the person who posted the video on the site. This personal account page itself includes a number of different sections, including links to favorite video collections, visitor comments, and whatever personal biographical information the page owner has decided to provide. "Religion as a way of life As stated in the introduction to this essay, there is no generally accepted definition of religion. John Mbiti agrees with this statement and believes that it is difficult to define religion. According to him , it is even more difficult to define religion in the context of traditional African life. Despite this difficulty, he asserts that for Africans, religion is an ontological phenomenon: it concerns the question of existence or existence. being. Religion has rules of conduct that guide life within a social group and is often organized and practiced within a community, rather than being an individual or personal matter Religion constitutes a part. religion, despite its flourishing popularity on the continent, many countries in sub-Saharan Africa are among the poorest nations in the world, according to a recent report by the New Partnership for Development. Africa (NEPAD), nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa rank among the seventeen most corrupt countries in the world. Mbiti asserted that most Africans are intensely religious. According to him, religion permeates all areas of life to such an extent that it is neither easy nor possible to isolate it. Although African religious consciousness initially arose from the practice of traditional religion, Christianity and Islam gave new impetus to this consciousness. In traditional African life, the individual is immersed in religious participation that begins before birth and continues after death. For the African, “to live is to be caught in a religious drama”. Religion is indeed fundamental for Africans, since human beings live in a religious universe. The universe and virtually all human activities that take place in it are viewed and experienced from a religious perspective. This means that all of existence is a religious phenomenon, leading Mbiti to assert that in the African worldview, to exist is to be religious in a religious universe. In this sense, it is unthinkable for an African to live without religion. This religious worldview informs the philosophical understanding of African myths, customs, traditions, beliefs, morals, actions and social relations. This same worldview also explains the religiosity of Africans in political and socio-economic life. Mbiti says it is clear that – in their encounter with indigenous religious traditions – Christianity and Islam have succeeded in converting many Africans. However, traditional religion shows resilience in its impact in areas such as Africans' historical and cultural roots, self-awareness and expectations. spheres. African political and economic elites have often resorted to religion in their intense competition for the diminishing resources of wealth, political power and prestige. In African societies like Nigeria, the state constitutes a source of power and wealth, more than any other institution in society. The power and wealth provided by the state make, 71(4), 573-611.