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In most societies religious life predates other forms of social organization. Ghana is no different in this respect, except that Ghana’s religious practices cover a wide range of experiences. In their most recognizable form, one sees the artifacts of religious awareness nearly everywhere. Churches and other temples of worship are omnipresent in this country where Christianity predominates among mainstream practices. Public transportation vehicles in the capitol of Accra carry bumper stickers proclaiming “Jesus Is Lord,” and “Only God Can Bring Peace.” You can see it in the countryside posters announcing tent meetings and rallies to hear the Word. The outward signs of religious practices are integral to Ghanaian society.

The strength of organized religious practice owes its success to a profound spirituality in Ghana, and perhaps among all African countries. Traditional Ghana includes rich practices and customs of worshipping the divine in such a manner that the distinction between traditional and spiritual, the

seen and the unseen, often cannot be separated. In traditional culture, for example, ancestors are understood to serve as familiar intermediators between this world and the next; in other words, they exist to be a bridge between the sacred and the profane. There are chiefs and kings with extraordinary authority that has been passed down through the ages, enabling them to define good and bad acts and with the power to judge the actions of others. These positions underscore the importance of ethnic, tribal and family relationships, as well as the values that are passed on from one generation to the next and from one extended family member assuming responsibilities for another.

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The traditional parts of Ghana’s religious life may not always be visible in church-like structures. They are found in personal rites and rituals; in puberty rites, through marriages, funerals and naming ceremonies. Events such as these offer corporate expressions of grace and forgiveness, as they bring people together regardless of their station in life. It is in fact a time of renewal, the purification step necessary perhaps to start over again. Religion in Ghana mirrors the complexity of this west African country in its diversity and its deep reverence for the spirit world.

C. James Trotman, West Chester University

Sources
1. ART AND ORACLE: AFRICAN ART AND RITUALS OF DIVINATION. THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, 1999.
2. Desmond Tutu, CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS: THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE IN SOUTH AFRICA. 1982.
3. Martin Kilson and Robert I. Rotberg, AFRICAN DIASPORA: INTERPRETIVE ESSAYS. 1976.