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.