Abstract
Scholars interpreting the power of Zionism frequently emphasize its being rooted in “the continuity of nation, land, and God.” When I heard
this point made by a scholar from Israel, after my return from a sabbatical in Nigeria, I was struck by the aptness of the phrase in describing the aspirations and the issues in the resurgent interest of Blackamericans2 in Africa. My experience of indigenous life in Africa emphasized that who a particular people are is inextricably bound up with the land they inhabit and their religion. The major qualification of this finding in relation to Zionism, as described above, is the plurality of religions that claim the loyalty of Africans and the plurality of spirits and powers that must be included in divinity.