Religiosity in Ghana

If there is something to have no question of is that Ghanaians are extremely religious.  About 70% of Ghanaians consider themselves Christians, 16% Muslims and 8.5% follow solely traditional religions.  However, you can find that many people, even the most Christian, visit traditional shrines and services in times of crisis. 

Nonetheless, you can count that on Sunday morning (and really every day and night of the week) the only place to be up and jumpin’ is church. Church services and events are the center of social and religious life.  It is the birthing place of all popular music, the place to meet a future spouse, have a dance and overall, praise God. 

While years of European and American missionaries might have succeeded in converting much of the population, there has always been a strong force to “Africanizing” Christian services.  The idea that the body is somehow unworthy and only your mind is made for worshiping God is not something that has ever caught on.  People worship God in full ecstatic joy- dancing, singing, praying, 24/7. The church next door has all-night services, and they sound like a rock concert. 

 Each denomination has their style, but they are all full of joy and very very long.  Of the four Sunday morning services I’ve attended in different churches, the shortest has been 3 ½ hours long (it was a catholic mass).  In Kumasi, when I was on my way out to church with my host dad at 8am, and my host mom handed me a packed lunch, I realized I was in trouble.  The service ended up being 5 hours and I even stayed an extra hour teaching a trumpet lesson with members of the band. 

However, God is not just for church.  People have Jesus’ face everywhere: on cars, food shack stalls, t-shirts, walls, just everywhere. And to add a great sense of irony to the whole thing, in every single depiction of Jesus here he is extra extra , almost ridiculously, light-skinned. I’m pretty sure Jesus in his time didn’t look like he came from Sweden, but the picture of Jesus in my Grannie’s home in Accra was blonde. (no joke)

Dr. Yemi says it’s a way of training people that no matter what, they always have a White master.  One can agree with that or not, but it certainly gives something to think about.

However, what I find the most amusing of this great sense of religiosity is the way people show their devotion in naming their businesses.  So I’ll end by sharing a few of my favorites: 

God’s Time is the Best Aluminum

The Lord is My Sheppard Unisex Hair Salon

Nyame Adom Hair Clinic (God’s Grace Hair clinic)

God’s Great Fast Food

DON’T REJECT JESUS Corn/Cassava Mill Center

Christ House Cold Store

Jah Jehovah Car Detailing

 

Note: A 'spot' is the Ghanaian word for bar.