George Mason University - Spring 2022
Creative writing 254, Chapter 9 Review
Professor Topping, Section 6
May 11, 2022
Nevertheless, Guided by the authority of the Muslim Representative Council, religious,
social, and economic matters affecting Muslims have been redressed through negotiations.
The Muslim Council has been responsible for arranging pilgrimages to Mecca for believers
who can afford the journey. (Johnson, 2020)
Class Date: 8/11/2024
Teacher’s Note: Proofread your work for grammatical errors.
GENERIC CONTENT:
## Analysis (List)
- There remains a gap between Muslims and Christians in Ghana.
- As society in Ghana modernized, Muslims were blocked from taking part in the
modernization process.
## Discussion
This is largely because access to jobs required Western education, and this education was
only available in missionary schools. Many Muslims feared that sending their children to
missionary schools may result in religious conversion. == Traditional religion ==
Traditional religions in Ghana have retained their influence because of their intimate
relation to family loyalties and local mores. The traditional cosmology expresses belief in a
supreme being referred as [Nyogmo - Ga, Mawu - Dangme and Ewe, Nyame -Akan] and the
supreme being is usually thought of as remote from daily religious life and is, therefore, not
directly worshipped.
## Findings
There are also the lesser gods that take "residency" in streams, rivers, trees, and mountains.
These gods are generally perceived as intermediaries between the supreme being and
society. Ancestors and numerous other spirits are also recognized as part of the
cosmological order. The spirit world is considered to be as real as the world of the living.
## Background (List)
- The dual worlds of the mundane and the sacred are linked by a network of mutual
relationships and responsibilities.
- The action of the living, for example, can affect the gods or spirits of the departed, while
the support of family ancestors ensures prosperity of the lineage or state.
## Conclusion
Veneration of departed ancestors is a major characteristic of all traditional religions. The
ancestors are believed to be the most immediate link with the spiritual world, and they are
thought to be constantly near, observing every thought and action of the living. To ensure
that a natural balance is maintained between the world of the sacred and that of the
profane, the roles of the family elders in relation to the lineage within society are crucial.
The religious functions, especially lineage heads, are clearly demonstrated during such
periods as the Odwira, Homowo, or the Aboakyir festivals, that are organized in activities
that renew and strengthen relations with ancestors. === Witchcraft ===
Popular religions in Ghana such as Christianity and Islam coexist with the beliefs of spirits,
evil, and witchcraft illustrated in traditional beliefs.
## Analysis
There is an intersection of religion brought through colonization and existing precolonial
beliefs related to witchcraft. In predominantly Christian communities, it is common to find
articles and news on what "good" Christians can do to fight evil forces of witchcraft. The
topic of witchcraft is often brought up in songs, and is present in the music culture in Ghana.
## Discussion
Hearing about the topic through music adds to its broader relevance in its culture. Sang in
Akan, the dominant non-English language in Ghana, popular songs reference witchcraft as
explanation for things such as infertility, alcoholism, and death. Details of witch beliefs and
the nocturnal lives of witches are depicted in letters and local newspapers across Ghana.
## Findings
Witchcraft accusations are commonly seen through various forms of media including
television, newspaper, and magazines. There are at least six witch camps in Ghana, housing
a total of approximately 1,000 women.
## Background
Women suspected of being witches sometimes flee to witch camp settlements for safety,
often in order to avoid being lynched by neighbours. == Rastafarian religion ==
The Rastafari movement is a movement that arose in Jamaica in the 1930s. Its adherents
worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia (1930–1974), as God incarnate, the Second
Advent, or the reincarnation of Jesus. According to beliefs, Haile Selassie was the 225th in an
unbroken line of Ethiopian monarchs of the Solomonic Dynasty.
## Conclusion
This dynasty is said to have been founded in the 10th century BC by Menelik I, the son of the
Biblical King Solomon and Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, who had visited Solomon in Israel.
The Rastafari movement encompasses themes such as the spiritual use of cannabis and the
rejection of western society, called 'Babylon'. It proclaims Africa, also known as 'Zion' as the
original birthplace of mankind.
## Analysis (List)
- Another theme is Royalty, with Rastas seeing themselves as African royalty and using
honorifics such as Prince or King in order to give royalty to their names.
- Many Rastas say that it is not a "religion" at all, but a "Way of Life".
- Rastafari are generally monotheists, worshipping a singular God whom they call Jah.
## Discussion
Rastas see Jah as being in the form of the Holy Trinity, that is, Father, Son and the Holy
Spirit. Rastas say that Jah, in the form of the Holy Spirit, lives within the human.
Afrocentrism is another central facet of the Rastafari culture.
## Findings
They teach that Africa, in particular Ethiopia, is where Zion, or paradise, shall be created. As
such, Rastafari orients itself around African culture. Rastafari holds that evil society, or
"Babylon", has always been white-dominated, and has committed such acts of aggression
against the African people as the Atlantic slave trade.
References / Works Cited:
1. Wikipedia (n.d.). Retrieved from https://wikipedia.org/
2. Random Book Title (2022). Academic Publishing House.
