African Traditional Religion and Visit to a Diviner

Contrary to what is believed in the West, Ghanaians are intensely religious.  African Traditional Religion (ATR) predates the introduction of Islam in the North and Christianity in the South.  It is wrong to say that the Ghanaian society has no concept of God before the arrival of these two religions which are now firmly entrenched in the country. All religious conversions to Islam or Christianity are done within this context.  

Traditional African Religion is built into the culture of the people and is responsible for many of their beliefs and traditions.  God is constantly referred to in conversations, explanations of natural events, proverbs, children’s name and even greetings.  Greetings always end with a prayer to God. At the end of every social interaction, God is invoked.  “Naawuni Song” (May God help you) is a common phrase in the Dagbani language to end a conversation and of course the expected response is “Ami” (Amen).

ATR posits the existence of a Supreme Creator God, who has mediators in his dealings with humans.  Beneath the supreme god are a number of spirits such as Nature Spirits and the Ancestral Spirits. By honoring these spirits, believers hope that the spirits would help them or would talk to the supreme god on their behalf.

For the African people, the natural and supernatural are one. The Africans have a dual worldview, the physical and the spiritual. This worldview impacts all aspects of their everyday lives including their work, family life and even their food.  Any time there is disharmony between the physical world and the spiritual world, it manifests in problems, calamities and sickness. Therefore, anything affecting the socio-cultural life of the people has a solution if and only if the necessary steps are followed by the believer.

This is the reason why divination still plays a functional role in the life of the people even among Muslim and Christian converts. It is believed that in ATR certain persons, i.e., the diviners have access to both worlds and are able to communicate between these worlds. He plays a key role by diagnosing the problems of the people and also prescribing the necessary actions to remedy/solve their problems.  He also givess warnings about impending danger and provides spiritual explanations for physical events in the lives of the people.

As part of the cross culturation experience at TICCS, we visited a local diviner.  He explained to us that divining is a gift that is passed on only to a man from the matrilineal line of the family in the North and the patrilineal side of the family in the South. The person does not ask that it be granted to him but the ancestral spirits would make known to the family their choice upon whom this bequest is to be given.  The selected heir is expected to accept lest some misfortune befalls him and/or his family for refusing.  A ritual is performed before the “tools of the trade” for lack of a better word is passed on to the selected male. This gift must be protected at all costs by the new diviner.

(Note:  The sack of tools that the diviner received from his ancestors.  According to the diviner, it contains rocks, leaves, twigs, bones, and other items needed to communicate with the spirits.)

Divination readings are often based in nature, taking form through its elements. It can be done with things, such as tea leaves, bones, nuts, and water, as well as cards, and other non-nature-based components.

This diviner uses pebbles to interpret what the spirits want to make known.  For specific questions or problems, he would request to have an object from the consulter that he can hold on to while doing the reading.  The question/issue is never articulated by the subject as this is to be communicated by the spirits to the diviner. For general consultations, he uses the pebbles and shakes the bowl several times. He then picks up some of  the pebbles depending on how they are laid out in the bowl after the shaking.  This is repeated several times until he is ready to give the reading. 

(Here, he is holding the pebble that represents the Almighty.)

(A closer look at all the other pebbles in the bowl. At the start of the reading , the Diviner would assign a pebble to represent the consulter.)                                

While divination has been disparaged and at the same time given some kind of religiosity by some scholars, it is worthwhile to note that its hold on the people may be because it serves as a positive reminder that while life involves suffering, it is not always futile – that humanity is equally capable of tenderness and mercy.

 No one has to point God out to a child.

-Ghanaian Proverb

T.I.C.C.S.

 After a month and half in this country, it is noticeably clear that Ghana Africa has a diverse and exciting culture.  It is renowned as a cultural melting pot, home to more than one hundred tribes and almost fifty languages.  Each tribe has its own set of cultural norms practiced in the different regions of the country.

The Bishop of Damongo, His Lordship Peter Paul Angkyier deemed it necessary for me to have a deeper understanding of the culture of Ghana to be more effective in my missionary service to the people of Damongo.  

To this end, the Diocese of Damongo enrolled me in a one-month course at Tamale Institute of Cross-Cultural Studies (T.I.C.C.S). TICCS as it is fondly called in Tamale Northern Ghana is a teaching and research facility opened by the Catholic Church and the Divine Word Missionaries in 1983.  It aims to enhance international and intercultural understanding and provide classes and experiences through a deep cultural immersion of the Ghanaian culture and society.

The class of May 2022 was organized by the Director of the Institute, Fr. Phanuel, SVD and Dr. Dominic Amonzen.  Other distinguished lecturers in their respective areas of expertise have also been invited to share their knowledge to the class.  

In the first week, classes were centered around general orientation of the Religions of Ghana, Contemporary Issues in Catholic Marriage, language learning, liturgy and the Do’s and Don’ts in Ghana.  The last one was really interesting to know as each tribe would have its own norms that can be the complete opposite for another tribe.  This week centered on how the Ghanaians would view a foreigner from a stranger to a guest to a visitor and insider.  Of course, the goal is to move from the stranger status to the insider (you are now considered one of them).

The second week delved more deeply into the lessons of the first week supplying more context and emphasizing the importance of ethno-relativism, i.e., evaluation of a culture based on a deep and heartfelt respect for other cultures and that all are inherently equal. The last two weeks will be centered on Cross-Cultural Communication.  The class will also have field excursions to a Diviner, a witch camp, a clinic for the poor and destitute and visits to some institutions in town, particularly the SVD, Carmelite monastery, the University of Development Studies, and the Cathedral.

Let me just introduce you to my “classmates” in this course.  The class is made up of 3 Nigerian Carmelite priests who have come to take over an outstation parish and convert it to a new full pledged parish here in Tamale.  We also have 3 Oblates Missionaries of Mary, two of whom are priests (one from Nigeria and another from Senegal) and a brother from Poland.  The OMIs are ministering in the Diocese of Ho.  The Bishop has tasked the OMIs to look after the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Kpando-Agbenoxoe Volta Region. Yes, I am the only female member of the class.  They have taken to calling me “blessed among men” sister. It is our hope that with these learning, we would soon move from being a stranger to an insider.  Please continue to pray for our Missionaries.

“All human activity takes place within a culture and interacts with culture.”

-St. John Paul II

"Centesimus Annus".   Encyclical Letter on the Hundredth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum, w2.vatican.va. May 01, 1991. 

Holy Week & Easter Part III

Easter Sunday

For Easter Sunday, we went to the St. Theresa Parish Church.  The community was pleasantly surprised when the Bishop arrived to celebrate the Easter Sunday liturgy.  As expected, the Church was full and jampacked.  For the Gloria and the Our Father, eight little children led the community in dancing and singing in the local language. There was also considerable dancing during the Collection and Offertory Procession. I must admit that I danced my way to the collection box set at the front of the Altar.  After the Mass, everyone wanted to greet the Bishop.  We joined the crowd in greeting His Lordship and when we finally met him, he reminded us about the Easter Monday Diocese picnic to close the Holy Week and Easter Sunday festivities.

Easter Monday

The Easter and Holy Week activities did not end with Easter Sunday. There was a Mass at 10:00 am at the Unity Center on Easter Monday.  Following the Mass, there was a picnic where everyone brought food for sharing.  There were also vendors who sold food and drinks for those who were not able to bring food.  Families and friends, the young and old were there to celebrate this wonderful day.  I saw the Bishop and commented that I almost did not recognize him because of the way he was dressed.  He told me that he takes out his Ghanaian attire once a year for this occasion.  I even saw him dancing as he made his way to the different tables to greet everyone.  The Vicar General was also there in his Ghanaian attire. I also saw some priests going around greeting their parishioners.  In the afternoon, there were games played, a dancing competition and dancing by just about everyone.  Karen and I also met a German dentist who comes once a year to Damongo for her personal mission to serve the people of the Diocese.  It was a delightful way to complete the Holy Week and Easter celebrations.

At the end of this day as I reflected on the week that was, I thanked God for this wonderful experience. I also thanked God for the sacrifice he made on that day at Calvary for us.  It is truly hard to fathom how our God had to undergo so much suffering for someone like me who does not deserve it.  I could only think of one explanation: LOVE.

“Love and sacrifice are closely linked, like the sun and the light.  We cannot love without suffering and we cannot suffer without love.”

-        St. Gianna