Department of Religions
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Item ‘Let No Black Cat Cross Our Path’: An Introduction to Ga Rituals of Affliction(Journal of Religion in Africa, 2021) Adu, G.K.Although much has been said about Ga rituals by earlier scholars such as Ammah, According to Kilson and Field, no direct and comprehensive literature exists that deals specifically with Ga rituals of affliction. Rituals of affliction are measures by which cultures attempt to deal with the problem of ‘affliction’. All cultures have a different way of which affliction is explained and dealt with. This article explores Ga rituals of affliction based on an analysis of one text line in the Galibation prayers, ‘Let no black cat cross our path’ (alŻnte diŋ ko akafo wŻteŋ).Item Eco-Justice And Human Well-Being In Ghana’s Artisanal Mining Communities: Towards A Theological Ethic Of Sustainable Community(Local Environment, 2024) Golo, B.W.K.The negative effects of Ghana’s artisanal mining industry on the sustainability of the natural environment and community life, exemplifies the dilemma of the protracted relationship between the quest for human well-being and sustainability of communities. Nevertheless, sustainable communities are crucial if the flourishing of the natural environment and engendering of human well-being would be attained. Indeed, within the indigenous African community, one is not pursued without the other, for both occur in tandem to ensure the sustainability and well-being of community. Drawing on secondary sources on artisanal mining and its drivers—human livelihoods and wellbeing—as against their social and environmental effects, this article sets out to offer an eco-justice analysis of the relationship between the quest for human wellbeing through artisanal mining and sustainable communities towards a constructive eco-justice theological ethics of sustainable community for Christian ecological praxis in the context of artisanal mining.Item A Life of Integrity: The Maccabean Story(Religions, 2023) Salakpi, A.G.K.The experience of ontological and epistemological dominations made Africans lose their self-consciousness and become unfulfilled in life. Every human being has a life of integrity that must be lived. The Maccabees in the Bible were dominated by Antiochus IV, the King of Syria. He desecrated the Temple, changed their religion, politics, economy, and social life and above all made himself a god to be worshipped. He deprived the Jews of their identity and dominated them ontologically, but they had a life of integrity to live. Some of the Jews accepted the new way of life by Antiochus and helped to betray those few Jews who stood against this new system of Antiochus. Many of the pious Jews lost their lives, but with hope in Yahweh and persistent endurance they regained their identity and life of integrity. The plague of coloniality made Africans invariably lose their identity, and consequently their integrity as others determined their pace of life. The African story is like the Maccabean story; this article studies selected texts in Maccabees (1 Maccabees 2 and 3; 2 Maccabees 6 and 7) and suggests their regaining of identity and life of integrity to the African situation. The paper uses biblical exegesis and intercultural interpretations to unearth the buried African treasures for an integrity of life.Item “Thy Law Is within My Heart” (Ps 40:7). Sacred Tradition in the Hebrew Psalter and in African Indigenous Texts(Religions, 2023) Mensah, M.K.Every society possesses systems for accessing, preserving, and transmitting its traditions. These are meant to ensure that privileged knowledge entrusted to reliable custodians is passed on un‑ changed between generations for the preservation of society. In Africa, scholars have advocated new hermeneutical approaches to the study of the Bible, arguing that the adoption of traditional methods of exegesis served as another instrument in the colonialists’ toolkit to undermine the reception and preservation of Africa’s sacred traditions. Using African Biblical Hermeneutics, this paper studies the processes for preserving Sacred Tradition in Psalm 40. Similar processes are found in African Indigenous Sacred Texts such as the mate masie of the Adinkra textual system. I argue, therefore, that a complementary reading of the texts of the two traditions could serve to de‑link from the monocular vision of traditional exegesis and offer a much more fruitful approach to interpreting these texts and making them relevant to the contemporary African reader.Item Examining pastor-prophet authority in neo Pentecostal deliverance practices(Journal of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity, 2023) Golo, B-W.K.A popular and growing feature of contemporary neo Pentecostal Christianity in Ghana are regular deliverance practices in search for solutions to diverse forms of existential predicaments, known in Pentecostal diction as afflictions. Pastor-prophets have become very popular for these practices with thousands of deliverance seekers attending one deliverance service or the other in search for solutions that these pastor-prophets proffer. Using ethnographic semi-structured interviews, this article examines the phenomenon of deliverance practices within neo-Pentecostalism in Ghana, and particularly focuses on the authority of pastor-prophets around which the activities of deliverance evolve. Findings indicate that supernatural authority and attaining of breakthroughs over life’s predicaments, become the barometer and legitimacy for the authority of pastor-prophetsItem Religion, State, and Constitution in Ghana: Disputed Realms of Neutrality(Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 2023) Sarbah, C.E.This essay discusses the neutrality of the role of the state and its apparatus or agencies in Ghana as it takes various steps to ensure that rights to religious practices are protected. It also examines the extent to which the noninterference by state institutions in internal affairs and activities of religious organizations is carried out in the role of the state in the building of the national cathedral and the organization of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca—as it ensures that no undue advantage is given to any of the country’s religious bodies. Finally, it assesses abuse, or even perceived abuse, of religious rights in the public space (schools and hospitals) led by the religious minority and examines the measures put in place by the state to deal with the problem.Item Religion, State, and Constitution in Ghana: Disputed Realms of Neutrality(journal of ecumenical studies, 2023) Sarbah, C.A.This essay discusses the neutrality of the role of the state and its apparatus or agencies in Ghana as it takes various steps to ensure that rights to religious practices are protected. It also examines the extent to which the noninterference by state institutions in internal affairs and activities of religious organizations is carried out in the role of the state in the building of the national cathedral and the organization of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca—as it ensures that no undue advantage is given to any of the country’s religious bodies. Finally, it assesses abuse, or even perceived abuse, of religious rights in the public space (schools and hospitals) led by the religious minority and examines the measures put in place by the state to deal with the problem.Item Religious Conversion, Proselytization, and the Marginalisation of Indigenous Religions in Ghana(Brill Academic Publishers, 2023) Atiemo, A.O.; Tweneboah, S.Abstract This paper probes the intricate connection of conversion, proselytization, and the state of Ghana to achieve three overarching goals. First, it unravels how colonialism, Christianity, and Islam have historically and collectively marginalised African indigenous religions. Second, it demonstrates a clever state maneuver to continue the historic joint colonial and missionary projection of Christianity and Islam at the expense of other traditions. Third, it interrogates how the state of Ghana is mindful of the political implications of frustrating the principle of separation. Against these positions, the paper argues that despite tacit attempts to privilege Christianity and Islam over indigenous religion, the state of Ghana maintains a moderate secularist stance that enhances free and equal participation of its religiously diverse populations in the public space. Keywords © 2023 Brill Academic Publishers. All rights reserved.Item Examining public perception on Technical and Vocational Education and Training enrolment in Ghana(International Journal of Training Research, 2023) Adams, A-Z.; Intsiful, E.; Zagoon-Sayeed, H.; Essuman, A.Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) enrollment in Ghana has been impeded by various challenges. One of the significant obstacles throughout the years has been public perception. As a result, many people prefer grammar-based schools over TVET. This study aims to investigate the operations of TVET in the Ayawaso-West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region in Ghana to determine the level of public perception and its impact on enrollment. The study employs the impression formation theory as a framework. An exploratory research design and a qualitative research approach were used to conduct the study. Thirty-six participants were selected using a purposive sampling technique. The findings revealed that the negative perception affecting the progress of the TVET subsector included lower societal recognition, lower job prestige and public ignorance of TVET. The study recommends continuous advocacy for TVET to correct public perceptionItem Tete wↄ bi ka, tete wↄ bi kyerɛ: Pius Agyemang’s Sacred Music and Ghana’s Catholic Liturgical Inculturation(Journal of Africana Religions, 2023) Apaah, F.This article provides an ethnographic reading into Catholic liturgical music rooted in African indigenous concepts. It analyzes some selected lyrics of the compositions of Pius Agyemang, SVD, who was a versatile Ghanaian Catholic composer and historian with vast knowledge in Ghanaian culture, to explore the nexus between Christian religiosity and being an African. These songs are not just literary texts but indigenous theology in action that expresses the religious understanding and reflections of a people within the context of Ghanaian indigenous knowledge system’s philosophy. The article shows how Pius Agyemang’s works provide a paradigm of indigenous theology that combines the Asante thought-form and culture with indigenous expressions of the Christian faith. It argues that there is complementarity between Christianity and the indigenous knowledge system’s philosophy that situates Christian belief in a stronger way in the Ghanaian traditional setting and serves as a relevant source of African Christian epistemology.Item Akan Religious Ontology and Environmental Sustainability in Ghana(Brill, 2022) Golo, B.K.; Majeed, H.M.; Myles, N.O.In this paper, using ethnographic field data from three indigenous Akan communities, we show that Akan religious ontology about the natural world provides a formidable resource and framework for managing the environmentally destructive tendencies of the human being. We further prove that while these ontologies about the natural world emerge from the intense religiosity of the Akan and the metaphysical worldview of the indigenous Akan, they contain strong environmental ethical norms and values worth resourcing for environmental sustainability in Ghana. We, consequently, argue that significant attention ought to be paid to these religious ontologies—beliefs, norms and practices—of the indigenous Akan, as an effective means of achieving environmental sustainability. We, therefore, propose the resourcing and adoption of indigenous religious ontologies on the natural world that have the potential of informing and enhancing environmental policies and initiatives towards environmental sustainability in Ghana.Item ‘Let No Black Cat Cross Our Path’: An Introduction to Ga Rituals of Affliction(Brill, 2022) Adu, G.K.Although much has been said about Ga rituals by earlier scholars such as Ammah, Kilson, and Field, no direct and comprehensive literature exists that deals specifically with Ga rituals of affliction. Rituals of affliction are measures by which cultures attempt to deal with the problem of ‘affliction’. All cultures have a different way in which affliction is explained and dealt with. This article explores Ga rituals of affliction based on an analysis of one text line in Ga libation prayers, ‘Let no black cat cross our path’ (alͻnte diŋ ko akafo wͻteŋ).Item Introduction: Current Perspectives on Islamic Family Law in Africa(Brill, 2021) Issaka-Toure, F.; Alidou, O.D.This special issue of Islamic Africa brings together new critical perspectives on the status of Islamic Family Law, commonly referred to as sharīʿa, within four African countries – Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique and Senegal – each reflecting distinctive gendered cultural, colonial and postcolonial realities. The introduction provides a general overview of the state of the art on Islamic family law in Africa and highlights the significant thematic focus of each contribution and the new areas for further inquiry that the volume opens. These topics and questions include among others: (a) the ways in which European colonialism and contemporary democratization processes have opened spaces for religious pluralism, thereby shaping the articulation of Muslim personal law within different African postcolonial state judicial systems; (b) how Islamic judicial practices, institutions, and authorities such as malamai and/ or Kadhis engage themselves with the secular state and/or are constrained by both the state and by the legal pluralism encountered within both Muslim majority and minority African countries; (c) the gendered implications of the hierarchical relation between Kadhi Courts and a national High Court; (d) the benefits and/or shortcomings of harmonizing Islamic Family Law; (e) what is to be learnt from women choosing to settle marital disputes and divorce within and/or outside the “legal protective space” afforded by the state judicial system and its inclusion of Islamic Family Law; (f) the role of human agency in influencing the administration of Islamic family law and/or interpreting the law; how judicial systems that are shaped by European and Islamic patriarchal systems confronted by the resilience of indigenous matrilineal Customary Law within contemporary African societies; and (g) the compatibility between the various articulation of African Islamic family laws with universal human rights and individual freedom. Ultimately, this special issue of Islamic Africa offers an insightful reflection on how Islamic Family Law plays an important role in democratic constitution-making or testing processes.Item Language, Literature, Prayer, and Music Repertoires as Sources of African Christian Spirituality and Values(SAGE, 2021) Amenga-Etego, R.M.; Kwakye, A.N.O.; i Emeka-Nwobia, N.; Onovoh, P.; Fretheim, S.Every interreligious encounter produces a cross-fertilization of ideas and values. To what extent is the Christian-African indigenous religious encounter mutually impacting? And what aspects of the African worldview make it receptive to Christianity? This article addresses these questions by engaging the underexplored phenomena of African literature, music, and prayer as sources of African values and spirituality, as well as of Christian theology. Through in-depth interviews, focused group discussions, participant-observation, along with archival data and African literary works, it argues that the wealth of African metaphors and values therein richly express African spirituality, values, and Christian theology.Item Dumping Sites, Witches and Soul-Pollution: A Pastoral Reflection on Waste and the Church in Ghana(Worldviews: Environment, Culture, Religion, 2018-03) Atiemo, A.O.The generation of waste and how to manage it pose challenges to municipal and district authorities in many parts of the world. In the African context, poverty, bad management practices, and increasing consumerist culture have conspired to render the situation even more complex. Complicating the situation further is the addition of synthetic and electronic waste, non-biodegradable and, in several cases, hazardous. Drawing on personal first hand experiences in Ghana from the perspective of a pastor and a scholar of religious studies, the author reflects on contemporary waste and its (mis)management in Africa and how these affect the dignity and security of present and future generations. He draws on relevant theological motifs from Christianity and indigenous African religious beliefs and practices as well as insights from sociology and eco-theological ethics to analyse the challenge and explore ways in which African Christian public opinion may be mobilized to help address the challenge.Item In Search of a Sustainable Society in Africa: Christianity, Justice, and Sustainable Peace in a Changing Climate(Philosophia Reformata, 2018-05) Golo, B.W.K.The violence which humankind has visited not only on the natural world but also on human populations has resulted in negative environmental change which in turn induces diverse forms of violence in Africa. This has been threatening a sustainable society and human flourishing in Africa. Invited as Christ's witnesses, Christians need to offer qualitative resources to forestall the violence that threatens human flourishing. What opportunities do these challenges offer Christian theologians and ethicists to provide life-transforming alternatives that enhance a sustainable African society? In this paper, I argue that considering the linkage between climate change and violence, a crucial transforming alternative towards a sustainable society in Africa is the quest for sustainable peace, realisable only within the context of justice (a just society)-specifically, climate and/or environmental justice. I intend to explore the Christian virtue of justice and its promise for a sustainable society, peace, and human flourishing in Africa.Item The Drama of Infertility: Reading Isa 56:1-8 from a Krobo Perspective(Horizons in Biblical Theology, 2018-09) Gatti, N.; Ossom-Batsa, G.In most cultures in Ghana, both male and female infertility are believed to be a curse and a sign of an unfruitful life. The ability to procreate thus defines the identity of the person and his/her existential value in relation to others. Furthermore, childlessness becomes an overwhelming drama as it is perceived to depict an inferior state of being or a life of incompleteness. This type of social identity construction raises serious hermeneutical issues in its engagement with the Judeo-Christian message of inclusiveness. Against this backdrop, this study reads the drama surrounding infertility within the Krobo worldview from the horizon of Isa 56:1-8, using the Communicative hermeneutic approach. Our findings are that an engagement between the Krobo worldview and the Isaian text creates both tension and transformation. The tension comes about because of the contrast of views; and the transformation resides in the change of perspective. The text provides a rich and an alternative understanding of infertility: another way of being and not a curse.Item Returning African Christians in Mission to the Gold Coast(Studies in World Christianity, 2018-04) Kwakye, A.N.O.The transatlantic slave trade created an African diaspora in the Westernworld. Some of these diaspora Africans encountered and embraced thereligion of their Western masters. Life in the Caribbean diaspora providedan opportunity for the nestling of ideas that were to shape theestablishment of the Christian faith in Africa. Following the failures ofEuropean missionaries to make an impact in Africa in the earlynineteenth century, freshly emancipated Christians from the Caribbeanbecame agents of social transformation in the Gold Coast, Cameroun andNigeria. Using archival records from Basel in Switzerland and Ghana, thispaper explores the missionary initiative of Jamaican Christians whoworked under the aegis of the Basel Evangelical Missionary Society from1843 to 1918. It provides evidence that these Jamaican Christians becameprincipal agents for the success of the Basel Mission's enterprise in theGold Coast in the nineteenth century. The paper argues against aEurocentric approach to mission historiography that has obviated theroles of Africans in the nineteenth century and demonstrates the legacywhich these returning Africans have left the church in Africa.Item Rethinking the Great Commission: Incorporation of Akan Indigenous Symbols into Christian Worship: Great Commission and Akan Symbols(International Review of Mission, 2018-07) Ossom-Batsa, G.; Apaah, F.Symbols are communicative tools with performative functions in all cultures. Apart from their decorative functions, non‐Christian symbols adopted into Christianity have had a tremendous impact on Christian life since the early times, especially in liturgical practices. Through Western missionary activities, Ghana inherited Christian biblical‐liturgical art as has been developed in the home countries of the missionaries. However, since the 1960s Adinkra symbols have been incorporated into Christian worship and theology, receiving attention within secular and religious circles because of their communicative potential. On the religious level, some churches have adopted them as logos or incorporated them into architectural designs and liturgical art. This paper seeks to investigate what motivates various missions to choose particular Adinkra symbol(s) and what they hope to achieve with them. Furthermore, it attempts a theological reflection on the communicative potential of artefacts in Ghanaian Christianity as a response to the “Great Commission. “We approach the subject from a historical, contextual, and theological perspective, using selected Roman Catholic and Methodist churches in Ghana as case studies. The study employed unstructured in‐depth interviews and photo elicitations to trace the relationship between visual arts and religion, with particular emphasis on Christian visual arts and how they have informed Christianity in Ghana.Item Cursing back to life? From psalms to imprecatory prayers: An intercultural reading(Biblische Zeitschrift, 2019-01) Gatti, N.; Yeboah, D.Imprecatory prayer is becoming a common phenomenon in Ghana. This plea seeks the complete annihilation of human enemies believed to be the cause of the woes the petitioners face. However, ecclesiastic authorities and academic world find it difficult to dialogue with the practice and reject imprecatory prayers as ‘unchristian.’ Interestingly enough, the same attitude is manifested towards portions of the Bible which contain ‘imprecatory prayers’: The Psalter. As a consequence, while the Historic Mission Churches forbid imprecatory prayers, their members flock to the Charismatic and Prophetic Churches. Against this background, the article analyses Ps 58, one of the ‘imprecatory psalms’ excluded by the official prayers of Historic Mission Churches, to understand its call to action and the perlocutory effect on the reader. The article concludes that the ‘imprecatory prayers’ can be a powerful educational tool to see the world with the eyes of the victims: it offers them a model of prayer of “cursing back to life;” a painful way to reconciliation and to rediscovering justice.