Religious Diversity in Ghana

Fig. 1: Mosque in Tamale, Ghana. easytrackghana.com/cultural

-overview-ghana_tribes-rastas-religions.php#ashanti

            The Republic of Ghana is extremely diverse in religious practices as well as ethnicities and cultures. According to a 2010 census, 71.2% of the population are Christian, including 28.3% Pentecostal, 18.4% Protestant, 13.1% Catholic, and 11.4% “other;” 17.6% profess to be Muslim; 5.2% follow Traditional African religions; .8% adhere to other religions, such as Buddhism; and 5.2% claim no religious beliefs (GhanaWeb n.d.).

            There are many origin myths among the various peoples of Ghana. According to Professor J.K. Anquandah, “One fundamental teaching common to all Ghanaian ethnic groups is the belief that there is a Creator God who is the source and fount of all things and beings, the beginning and end of all things, the provider of all things (Religons and Belief Systems 2006). Traditional African religions include ancestor worship and animism–the belief that spirits inhabit natural features such as trees, streams, and mountains.

Fig. 2: Ananse the spider. https://mrpsmythopaedia.wikispaces
.com/Asanti

The Ashanti people, members of the Akan-language peoples and the largest ethnic group in Ghana, tell the story of the demi-god spider Nanni (Ananse), who helped the Creator-God fashion human beings. Belcher recounts the tale: “At the beginning, the spider Nanni assisted God in creating humans. The spider wove stuff, and God used the spider’s weaving to make humans” (Belcher 2005, 104-105). Others of the Akan peoples believe their ancestors emerged from the earth, and claim to know the spot where they surfaced (Belcher 2005, 326).

Some coastal peoples believe they were led from the sea by two giants, Amamfi and Kwegia. A hunter observing them rising from the waves cried out in surprise; at this, those still in the water were transformed into rocks, which still stand among the waves. The people from the sea split into two groups; one, led by the giant Kwegia lived by the sea and became fishermen. The other group, led by Amamfi, left the shore and moved inland, where Amamfi taught them agriculture (Belcher 2005, 327).   

Fig. 3: Catholic Mass in Ghana. easytrackghana.com/cultural-
overview-ghana_tribes-rastas-religions.php#ashanti

            Christianity and Islam, brought to the peoples of Western Africa by Arab and European traders and missionaries, have largely supplanted Traditional African religions, although often being adapted to African methods of story-telling and praise. Christianity has had a significant influence on the practice of Traditional African religions; for example, the Dagomba people believe they are descended from Noah (Belcher 2005, 334). One Ashanti myth describing the rise of the Ashanti people includes an event in which “…one Ashanti went so far as to slash a messenger with his sword and cut off an ear,” echoing John 18:10, in which Peter struck the servant Malchus with his sword, cutting off his ear (Belcher 2005, 329). The Soninke people tell a story which includes a younger son covering himself with lamb’s skin to imitate his brother’s hairy chest in order to fool his blind father into giving him the blessing due his older brother, paralleling the story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 27:1-29 (Belcher 2005, 386).

            Ghana boasts a diverse population comprised of close to 100 ethnic groups speaking over 25 languages (GhanaWeb n.d.). Religion is another facet of Ghanian culture illustrating the country’s rich diversity.

Bibliography

Esswein, Benjamin. "Presentation: Islamic Dynasties Economic, Social, and Political Development of Africa." Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University, 2014. https://learn.liberty.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_325805_1&content_id=_13670563_1. (accessed September 14, 2016).

GhanaWeb. n.d. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/country_information/ (accessed August 30, 2016).

"Religons and Belief Systems." National Commission on Culture. 2006. http://www.ghanaculture.gov.gh/index1.php?linkid=291 (accessed September 15, 2016).