Fanon’s New Humanism and the Neoliberal Captivity of Nigerian Pentecostalism

The centenary of Frantz Fanon provides an opportunity to revisit his call for a “new humanism” against the backdrop of Africa’s contemporary religious and political landscape. Fanon’s vision of liberation as a radical rupture that restores human dignity beyond colonial oppression and capitalist exploitation remains profoundly relevant, especially within the context of Nigerian Pentecostalism. This paper explores Pentecostal rebirth as both a promise and a peril, interrogating how it interacts with neoliberal globalization, economic precarity, and the search for moral order. While Pentecostalism offers adherents new forms of identity, empowerment, and spiritual vitality, it also risks reproducing neoliberal rationalities of prosperity, competition, and individualism that deepen social inequalities. The analysis draws on the concept of the “colonization of the mind” to illustrate how Pentecostal prosperity discourse reworks older legacies of domination while simultaneously generating unexpected forms of resilience and creativity. By situating Nigerian Pentecostalism within the framework of Fanon’s new humanism and the dynamics of the global “divine economy,” the essay contends that Pentecostal rebirth cannot be reduced to market-driven spirituality alone. Instead, it represents a contested space where liberation and captivity intersect, raising the urgent question of whether a Pentecostal humanism—rooted in solidarity, communal flourishing, and resistance to domination—can be imagined. The study ultimately argues that Fanon’s unfinished project provides critical resources for rethinking the moral and political future of Africa through the lens of contemporary religious transformation.