Religion in Ghana

I have observed (based on only three weeks here, in a Christian-dominated community) that Ghanaians have a very interesting balance between enthusiastic passion for their religions and a tolerance for religious freedom in the country as a whole. I don’t have many specifics to cite, but I have gathered that Christianity is the main religion here in the south. And I understand that Islam dominates the north. People also practice traditional, animistic religions. Children are taught from a very young age about these different religions in their country and tolerance is an important value in the educational curriculum. In fact, my understanding is almost all based on what I've picked up observing Religion and Moral Education (RME) classes (mostly in the first grade!). Learning about different religions is certainly an important part of Ghanaian education.

I would be interested in learning more about the history of how this kind of curriculum was developed. I don’t know if there is a history of religious conflict that this is meant to address. Or if this was simply considered a priority at the country’s independence in order to promote a stable, harmonious society. In any case, I think it is an important idea, particularly because I’ve noticed how prevalent religion is in Ghanaian society.

You really can’t escape Christianity here in this part of Ghana. When we’ve gone into downtown Tema, all of the taxis have some sort of religious message (many of which are often bizarre) stenciled on the rear window.

At the school, prayer is a big part of the school day. The daily morning assembly before classes has all the students pray as well as recite the Lord’s Prayer. I should know it by heart by the time I leave, right after I memorize the Ghanaian national anthem, which they also sing every day (and is quite catchy!). Also, we always have a “staff meeting” after assembly, which is when the teachers and the headmaster all gather in a circle and one of the teachers leads a prayer. Finally, the day also closes with prayer and the school also hosts a Sunday school every week, which I attended on my second weekend here. It has been interesting to learn about Christianity, which I don’t have much exposure to, and also to learn about how important religion is to people here.

I also have to note the loudspeakers that blare from somewhere near the school about four or five nights a week. They go on for hours, alternating from a pleasant buzzing hum, which reminds me of the call to prayer in Morocco that I remember fondly, to a booming, fire-and-brimstone televangelist who repeatedly shouts “IN THE NAME OF JESUS!!”

That kind of religious fervor is a bit too much for me. But I have found that this kind of passion is often coupled with a respect and tolerance of others that is very reassuring. I can only speak for the brief observations I have had in one small part of the country, so I wouldn’t want to generalize too much about Ghana as a whole. But I have never seen this kind of extreme balance where just about everyone is passionate and vocal about religion, but at the same time is tolerant and supports institutions that advocate for religious harmony. So I thought it was particularly worth noting.