Salvation, Music, and Embodiment in Yoruba Christian Migration

This book offers an ethnomusicological case study of a Nigerian congregation in Ireland and engages with some of the most salient issues emerging in twenty-first century migrant Christianity. Situated at the intersection between salvation, music, and embodiment, the study highlights the inextricable connection between expressive cultural forms, local theologies, and religious efficacy. Engaging with accounts of the nature of salvation in African theological discourse, the book explores how salvation is materialised in Christ Apostolic Church, Dublin, through talking drum performance, dance, music and movement in prayer and testimonies, and the language of congregational song. Even while salvific performance represents a continuation of practices brought from Nigeria, areas of tension are emerging in the context of migration. Faced with significant environmental, economic, and social changes, church members are beginning to question some of their beliefs and to adapt their approaches. This book engages not only the efficacious aspects of salvific performance, but also the musical outworking of salvific tensions and contradictions against a backdrop of social and religious change. It will be of interest to scholars of ethnomusicology, anthropology of religion, African religions, African Pentecostalism, theology, liturgical studies, and migration studies.