Resumen de Africa, un continente in effervescenza religiosa
In an Africa that has become a ‘babel’ like other continents, a religious ferment seeks an explanation and a guide in the chaos of the global world in the new «prophet-pastors». The Christianity of historic churches is still strong, with a large network of services and socio-welfare works that often take the place of the defaulting public sector. However, aggressive new neo-Christian (as well as neo-Islamic) actors with robust proselytism are making their way, preaching religious clashes and a mythical «return to the sources». The strength of contemporary neo-Pentecostalism and the reason for its remarkable growth seem to be linked to its ability to mix the themes of global flows with the composition of heterogeneous moral elements, flexible and indefinite enough to allow them to take root and operate in a multitude of contexts. These are different religious products, exhibited in a mercantilistic way, almost a form of religious marketing where evocations of the traditional African heritage are mixed with syncretic elements of Christianity and new technological suggestions.
