Athéisme et sécularisme au Kenya : les tribulations des Atheists In Kenya (AIK)

As affirmed by the 2010 constitution, the Republic of Kenya is a secular country that promises both freedom of faith and freedom from religion. In practice, however, the realm of religion in Kenya is highly normative. The 2010s have seen the rise of a group seeking to challenge this status quo: Athe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social compass 2022-12, Vol.69 (4), p.596-613
Main Authors: Maupeu, Hervé, Gez, Yonatan N., Droz, Yvan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activism
Atheism
Courts
Democratization
Freedoms
History
Humanities and Social Sciences
Religion
Religious beliefs
Resistance
Secularism
Social action
Social movements
Testimony
Varia
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Summary:As affirmed by the 2010 constitution, the Republic of Kenya is a secular country that promises both freedom of faith and freedom from religion. In practice, however, the realm of religion in Kenya is highly normative. The 2010s have seen the rise of a group seeking to challenge this status quo: Atheists in Kenya (AIK). The group met with fierce resistance, and its attempt to register as a legal society ended before the country’s High Court. AIK’s activism turned it into a social movement that demands a reexamination of the close ties between religion and the State. It is thus an important participant in a wide debate on secularism in Kenya. In addition, AIK may be read as a testimony to the country’s present stage of democratization, which allows – if sometimes reluctantly – for new modes of social action and for the expression of claims that were formerly kept in check.
ISSN:0037-7686
1461-7404
DOI:10.1177/00377686221105780