Richardson Addai-Mununkum
Travel Fellow (2014)
Ghana
Two renowned African philosophers have described Africans as notoriously and incurably religious (Mbiti, 1969; Parrinder, 1970). This is because the socio-cultural fabric is woven and girded with religion. From birth to death, sowing to reaping, Africans turn to religious strategies in ways that are incomprehensible to the average westerner. With the advent of western religion, this religious “notoriety”; is manifest in an unwavering show of religiosity through signs. Behrend (2012) observed that in towns in Uganda, religious signboards are meant to attract customers while giving evidence of the Christian faith of the retailers.
During my summer pre-dissertation visit to Ghana, I took the opportunity to capture similar images that display the religious manifestations of Ghanaians. Most of these I found on commercial vehicles and on shops. I have put these images together as a video with a highlife music at the background. The music entitled: “Se obi do wo a do no bi” [reciprocate love to someone who loves you] is written and performed by Kwabena Kwabena. Hope you enjoy.
References:
Behrend, H. (2012). Resurrecting Cannibals: Witch-hunts, “Pagans” and the Catholic Church in Western Uganda (Har/DVD.). James Currey.
Mbiti, J. S. (1969). African Religions and Philosophy (2nd edition). Heinemann.
Parrinder, E. G. (1970). African Traditional Religion. Greenwood Press .