AFRICANEWS
GhanaUnending war between traditional religion and ChristianityReligionBy Amos Safo
In the coming days Ghanaians will witness a major conflict unfold as adherents of Africana Renaissance Mission take to the streets to protest against the teaching of Christian Religion in public schools. The date has not been given, but it could be sooner than expected. This was an ultimatum or perhaps, a threat issued by elders, divine priests and priestesses and delegates of the adherents of the religion who met here recently to deliberate on issues affecting their religion. Osofo Kofi Amevor, head of the mission, which is spearheading the resurgence of African religion said in a statement that having deliberated on the moral decadence in Ghanaian society , and the crime wave in general it feels Christianity which is the dominant religion in the country has flopped. In a resolution the mission urged the government as a matter of urgency to stop Christian indoctrination of children in state-funded schools, stop teachers from forcing children to learn and say Christian prayers and hymns in state-funded schools and rather introduce the teaching of African Traditional Religion(ATR) as a separate discipline in schools, colleges and universities as a matter of policy. The mission argues that it is unfair for the state to be paying teachers only for them to be fostering the doctrine of one religion on children in a secular country like Ghana. It says the situation, apart from being unacceptable deprives children their human rights. "The children must be given their inalienable rights to make their own choice of religion when they grow up. This is what obtains in all civilised countries in Europe and America which Ghanaians admire so much". The mission further argues that apart from putting a wedge between children and their parents, the teaching of Christian virtues in public schools has not yielded any desirable results for the country. "It has rather made children wayward and predisposed to crime and immorality", the resolution stated. On the issue of teaching traditional religion in all public schools, the resolution upholds that the present situation, where ATR is made a mere adjunct to the study of foreign religions debases it in the minds of both tutors and students. It described as unfortunate the practice where Ghanaian universities no longer accept ATR as an entry requirement. "This is unfair and discriminatory, ATR must also be recognised as a university entry requirement", the resolution noted. Unfortunately for the mission, quite a large number of elementary and tertiary institutions in the country are owned by Christian missionary institutions. As one Christian leader put it in a reaction, "the traditional worshippers may have to build their own schools and universities to ensure that no one indoctrinates their children." As to whether they have the capacity to do it remains to be seen. The Africana Renaissance Mission is also at the centre of a marathon national debate on the abolition of the "Trokosi" system in which young girls are enslaved to shrines as an atonement for the sins of their parents or distant relations. Through no fault of theirs, these unfortunate victims are usually condemned to spend all their lives in the custody of the shrines, during which they are used as cheap labour, besides being unwilling wives of the priests of the shrines. Some of them have given birth to dozens of children while living in servitude. The Trokosi issue came to public attention some three years back following persistent press reports of human rights violations of the victims. Following the reports, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, together with some NGO's employed advocacy and public education to secure the release of scores of inmates, some of who had lived under the shrines as early as eight years. Some of them are now learning various vocations with the assistance of Plan International, International Needs, Amnesty International and other NGO's. Though the practice has been vehemently condemned the Ghanaian public and some members of the international community, the Africana Renaissance Mission resists the scrapping of the practice and served its readiness to fight for the preservation of African values. At a national convocation here last year adherents of traditional religion loudly criticised attempts by the government and the public to abolish what they call the last vestige of traditional religion. They have pledged to fight with every sinew to ensure the practice is sustained. During the 1979 and 1981 revolutions headed by Jerry John Rawlings, the Africana Renaissance Mission was given special place in national activities. The mission was allotted 30-minute air time on national radio to broadcast its teachings. They were allowed to pour libation on very important ceremonial days before Christian and Moslem prayers were said. But the mission seems to have lost its prime place in national affairs with the coming into being of the fourth republican constitution in 1992. Over the last three years Christians and traditional worshippers, particularly, the Ga Traditional Council owners of Accra lands have clashed over the celebration of the "Homowo" festival during which drumming and excessive noise making are prohibited for one month. Homowo, literally means, chasing hunger away and is celebrated to usher in the farming season. The festival is celebrated in August every year. But before August the traditional council imposes a one month ban on drumming in May of every year. This order has over the years sparked bloody clashes between the council and Christians, who argue they are not bound by the laws of traditional religion. Two years ago, Ga youth stormed several churches that defied the order and beat up Christians, destroyed their instruments and allegedly carried their collections away. This year's Homowo however, surprisingly passed without any nasty incident, following a peace pipe smoked by leaders of the two religions at the insistence of the Greater Accra Regional Security Council.
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