The Architecture of Peace and the “Mental Machines” of Conflicts: Prof. Vincenzo Pace on Murdered in the Name of God
In the modern era, the stories we tell about conflict often act as fog, obscuring the jagged realities of power, land, and survival. For many, the recurring violence in Northern Nigeria is simply categorized as “religious extremism”, a convenient, if hollow, label. However, for Obehi Ewanfoh, a Storytelling Legacy Consultant and Narrative Strategist, these labels are a form of “Economic Tenancy.” They are narratives we rent from external observers because we have yet to build the institutional sovereignty to define our own tragedies.
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Through his proprietary “Story to Asset” framework, Ewanfoh has spent over a decade moving beyond the headlines. His landmark research project, “Murdered in the Name of God,” was born from a necessity to deconstruct the religious violence plaguing Nigeria.
By bridging his Nigerian heritage with his professional journey in Italy, Ewanfoh sought to understand if the “God” being invoked in these wars was the Creator, or a political construct.
In a pivotal series of dialogues with Professor Vincenzo Pace, a world-renowned Sociologist of Religion at the University of Padua, Ewanfoh uncovered a blueprint for how belief is weaponized.
This report explores that research, the sociological data behind it, and how the African Diaspora can use these insights to reclaim their institutional sovereignty.
Why God Is Often Used in Conflict Zones
In conflict zones, God is often invoked not as a theological abstraction, but as a “Mental Machine” designed to transform material disputes into sacred missions.
As Professor Vincenzo Pace and Obehi Ewanfoh observe, religion provides an “extra fuel” (carburante in più) that political actors use to mobilize populations when economic or territorial arguments feel insufficient.
By framing a neighbor as a “ferocious enemy” of the divine, leaders bypass rational restraint; this is statistically evident in polarized religious demographics, where the probability of conflict increases by 20–35%.
From the Crusades, which mobilized over 1 million people for what were largely territorial gains, to the Partition of India, where faith-based identity displacement led to 1–2 million deaths, the invocation of God serves to provide absolute legitimacy to the state’s pursuit of power and land.
It, therefore, should be understood that this manipulation of faith creates a “Sovereign” narrative that justifies systemic exclusion and violence by dehumanizing the “other.” In modern flashpoints like Nigeria, extremist groups like Boko Haram exploit economic disenfranchisement to cloak political agendas in religious rhetoric, resulting in over 20,000 casualties and billions in infrastructural damage.
Similarly, in Myanmar, the Buddhist nationalist narrative has been weaponized to displace over 700,000 Rohingya, proving that even traditionally “peaceful” religions can be redirected into exclusionary political ends.
When religion and state power merge, as seen in theocratic regimes or selective nationalist narratives, lobbying influence can shift national policy by 15–25%, solidifying the “Mental Machine” that pits one segment of humanity against another.
The Fuel vs. The Engine: Why “Religious War” is a Misnomer
One of the most profound insights from Professor Pace’s research is the distinction between religion as a spiritual pursuit and religion as an extra fuel. Pace argues that a “purely religious conflict” essentially does not exist in a vacuum. Instead, there is a “dangerous relationship” between religion and politics.
The Mechanism of Manipulation
In his interviews with Ewanfoh, Pace notes that spirituality addresses the deep human need to find meaning beyond material interests, food, work, and survival. However, because religion touches the core of human identity, it is the most effective tool for political mobilization.
- The Political Engine: Politics is inherently divisive; it deals with the distribution of resources and power.
- The Religious Fuel: When political leaders find that material promises aren’t enough to drive a population to war, they “drag religion into the logic of conflict.” They transform a dispute over grazing land or electoral borders into a “cosmic battle” between good and evil.
For the African professional, this is a lesson in Narrative Strategy. Just as a politician uses religion to bypass logic, many corporate or systemic narratives use “cultural fit” or “traditional values” to mask exclusionary practices.
To move toward sovereignty, one must distinguish between the fuel (the emotions) and the engine (the actual objective).
The “Mental Machine” and the Dehumanization Process
How does a person who “shared a pizza” or a meal with a neighbor on Friday find themselves holding a weapon against them on Monday? This was the central question Ewanfoh investigated through the lens of the “Mental Machine.”
The Psychology of the “Other”
Professor Pace highlights that the human brain has a natural resistance to killing. To overcome this, the “other” must be transformed into a “ferocious enemy” through an obsessive representation.
“The wars, before they are fought on the battlefield, are born in our heads,” Pace tells Ewanfoh.
Ewanfoh’s research in Kano, Nigeria, provided a chilling real-world example. He observed the categorization of “non-indigenes”, citizens of the same country who are treated as “Class B” because they are not ancestral to that specific state.
When political actors layer religious differences on top of this “indigene-settler” divide, they create a mental machine that justifies violence.
According to data from the Global Terrorism Database and various peace institutes, conflicts involving identity-based “othering” are 3x more likely to recur than those based purely on economic disputes. This is because the “mental machine” remains in place long after the peace treaty is signed.
Comparative History: From the Crusades to the Balkans
To ensure his research was intellectually rigorous and not biased by proximity, Ewanfoh looked at European history. The comparison between the Nigerian crisis and the European experience is striking.
The Degeneration of the Crusades
The Crusades are often romanticized as holy pilgrimages. However, Pace and Ewanfoh discuss them as a “degenerate form” of expansion. While the “spiritual energy” was the reconquest of Jerusalem, the reality was a “war of expansion” where knights fought because they knew they could return with a castle, a fiefdom, or land.
The Balkan Tragedy
In the 1990s, the former Yugoslavia saw Orthodox Christians, Catholics, and Muslims, who were often relatives through mixed marriages, turn on each other.
Political leaders specifically targeted religious symbols (mosques, churches, convents) not because they were religious zealots, but because they wanted to “convince citizens that the true enemy was the religion of the other.”
For the African Diaspora, this comparative view is liberating. It proves that violence in Africa is not a result of a “primitive” culture, but a universal sociological process where power exploits piety.
Recovering the “Sovereign” African Root
A key theme in Ewanfoh’s work is the recovery of pre-colonial African value systems. He references the work of the late Ghanaian theologian Kwame Bediako, who argued that the “pre-Christian/pre-Muslim” spiritual roots of Africa are a “peaceful resource.”
The Fraternity of the Global Majority
In pre-colonial Africa, spiritual systems were often integrated into the social fabric in a way that emphasized Institutional Sovereignty, the ability of a community to govern itself through shared values like Ubuntu.
Pace notes that early Islam in Senegal (the Mouride brotherhoods) and early Christianity in Africa succeeded because they tapped into this “spirit of fraternity.”
When a religion is dragged into conflict, it “renounces this deep core of the ethics of fraternity.” Sovereignty, therefore, is the act of returning to that core, refusing to let external political agendas define the “other” as an enemy.
From Research to Action: The “Story to Asset” Framework
Obehi Ewanfoh’s journey from investigating “Murdered in the Name of God” to hosting over 1,000 episodes of the Obehi Podcast is a masterclass in narrative evolution. He didn’t just report on the problem; he built a platform for the solution.
For the Business Owner and Professional
The transition from Economic Tenancy (being a pawn in someone else’s story) to Institutional Sovereignty (owning your narrative) requires three strategic shifts:
- Deconstruct the “Mental Machines” of your Industry: Are you competing based on a narrative of “scarcity” that someone else created? A sovereign professional realizes that their unique story is an asset that removes them from the “commodity” competition.
- Identify the “Fuel”: Use your values and heritage (the spiritual/cultural “fuel”) to power your business, but never let them be used as a tool to divide your team or community.
- Build Your Own Institution: AClasses Academy is an example of creating an “Institutional Sovereignty” for the African Diaspora. Rather than waiting for traditional institutions to tell the African story, Ewanfoh built his own.
The Role of Leadership
Pace concludes that religious and community institutions “can no longer stay silent.” In business, this translates to Thought Leadership. If you do not define your values and your story, the “political” forces of the market will define them for you, usually to your disadvantage.
See also Religion And Spirituality in Ancient Kemet with Dr. Kiatezua Lubanzadio Luyaluka
Conclusion: Your Story is Your Sovereignty
The research conducted by Obehi Ewanfoh, enriched by the sociological expertise of Professor Vincenzo Pace, serves as a bridge. It connects the painful history of religious violence to a future of strategic empowerment.
It reminds us that whether in the streets of Kano or the boardrooms of London and New York, the narrative is the ultimate territory.
Ewanfoh has interviewed leaders in the US, Canada, the UK, and across Africa, proving that the “Story to Asset” methodology works across borders. It is about taking the “broken” parts of our history, the conflicts, the migrations, the misunderstandings and forging them into a legacy.
Summary of Key Insights:
- Conflict is Political: Religion is the fuel, not the engine.
- Humanity is the Core: Spiritual fraternity is the antidote to the “mental machine” of war.
- Narrative Ownership: If you don’t own your story, you are an “economic tenant” in someone else’s world.
Call to Action: Own Your Legacy
The journey from conflict to clarity starts with a single conversation. Obehi Ewanfoh has dedicated his life to helping you find the “spirit of things” in your own journey. Whether you are an entrepreneur looking to stand out or a professional seeking to build a lasting legacy, your story is your most valuable asset.
Do not let your narrative be a casualty of someone else’s agenda. Book Your Free 15-Min Legacy Call Now and start building your Institutional Sovereignty today.
