Ghana Life: God and money

Ghanaians express their hopes and beliefs in the slogans and slogans they display on their public transport vehicles, especially taxis, trotros and mammie wagons. There is no doubt that the most recurring themes are God and money. The two concepts seem to have roughly equal status and the catchphrases ‘Nyame ne hene’ (God in the King) and ‘Sika ne hene’ (Money is King) compete for popularity. However, the two concepts should not be interpreted as competing in any way, but as being closely linked to the practice of religion.

Many people around the world follow a religion in the hope that it will improve their lives, and the improvement they hope for is often financial. In Ghana, as well as elsewhere, there are churches that promise their worshipers a shortcut to riches. In pursuit of this dream, followers contribute to the church as much as they can afford and the only person who is sure to drive a luxury because is the founding pastor. All priests and pastors are generally considered to be wealthy, and many clerics raised in large international churches break away to start their own business ventures. The result is a multiplicity of churches with a bewildering variety of names.

The traditional fetish religions of Ghana place a high value on blood sacrifice as a means of obtaining the desired reward. Human sacrifice was replaced by animal sacrifice, and with the advent of Christianity the blood sacrifice of Jesus was enthusiastically embraced. Today Pentecostal and evangelical churches recite ‘Yesu mogya nka w’anim’, let the blood of Jesus splash on your face, and ‘Yesu mogya’, blood of Jesus, is another common trotro message. Red-faced people expect a generous material reward, but people who get rich too quickly are often accused of having made a deal with the devil.

Those who achieve great wealth or political power quickly are often suspected of employing occult forces. Many people think that the successful businessman, politician, or rich man has been aided by black magic, cannibalism, or Satan. The popular press in Ghana often reports accusations of witchcraft and stories about ‘hard sika’ (money medicine) rituals in which vampires suck the blood of innocent relatives to enrich themselves. Those people who adopted Christianity called for active opposition to this work of the powers of darkness.

In Ghana, Pentecostal churches were the first to introduce exorcism services in order to expel evil spirits. This increased their popularity and they began to attract followers from the main churches: Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, etc. One by one, the major churches were forced to do the same to maintain the strength of their congregations. In the late 20th century, exorcism services were available to any churchgoer unlucky enough to have been seduced by Satan.

In the post-colonial era, people from Ghana and other former colonies moved to Britain and other Western countries. They have taken their churches with them or created new ones in their image. This has greatly expanded the choice available to the ardent seeker and has helped ensure that alternatives are available to everyone who is not satisfied with their current provider. However, you are unlikely to see ‘Sika ne hene’ and ‘Nyame ne hene’ painted in large letters on the side of the big red double-decker buses that run in the City of London; the first would be taken as obvious, and the second relegated to the concern of immigrants.