Samuel Awuah-Nyamekye

This article explores the pent-up question of equitable distribution of land in Ghana using the Forest-Savanna Agroecological Zone as a case study. It focuses on the dichotomy of policy versus indigenous spirituality in contemporary distribution of land in Ghana. After independence several attempts have been made to restructure land title holding in Ghana by way of land registration. The effectiveness of these attempts is also examined. The paper concludes that Ghana needs pragmatic steps (policies) to confront the challenges of land distribution. And in taking these pragmatic policies, the religio-cultural underpinnings (the people`s worldview) of land issues in Ghana should be factored into the policy that will result. Anything short of this will make the implementation of any land policy in Ghana ineffective.

closely related to their religion’s imperative to utilize resources (both natural and human) judiciously so as to achieve growth and meaningful life for the present and future generations. Every year about 30% of the forests in Ghana are destroyed. Regrettably all efforts made in Ghana to salvage the situation over the years have excluded religion, particularly African Traditional Religion. This paper argues that African Traditional Religion has the capacity to ensure sustainable development due to environmentally beneficial mechanisms inherent in its tradition. Followers of this religion see forests and other natural phenomena as sacred entities. They apply taboos, totemism, sacred groves and other ritual mechanisms to ensure conservation of the natural resources. The resulting informal nature conservation models are effective, cheaper, and less time and energy consuming than the modern models for managing biodiversity. How should Indigenous Spiritualities be taught in our educatio...

In view of their strong theistic world view, the people of Berekum traditional society, usually attribute all forms of misfortunes: sickness, pestilence, epidemic, famine, sudden deaths, abject poverty etc. to the work of the spirit forces especially the evil ones. Therefore, whenever a misfortune strikes any one of them, the spirit beings are consulted through human agents who are generally or collectively known as medicine men and women (priests, mediums, diviners, magicians etc.) in Berekum, to find out the cause, the spirit being(s) involved and the appropriate ways to address the problem. This paper examines the concept of religion and medicine from the perspective of the ‘traditional Berekum’ people. The paper argues that religion plays a vital role in the practice of traditional medicine in Berekum traditional society and it is difficult to de-couple religion and medicine in this traditional milieu.

The worldview of the traditional Ghanaian people is overwhelmingly religious, and this worldview guides them in all their endeavours, including healthcare matters. In other words, health is holistically conceptualized in the traditional Ghanaian milieu. This paper examines the role religion plays in indigenous healthcare practices in Ghana, using the Akan (a dominant ethnic group in Ghana) as a case study. In spite of formidable challenges, indigenous healthcare practices continue to be the major healthcare provider in Ghana now. This paper argues that with proper attitude and support, championed by healthcare policy–makers and implementers, and medical schools of Ghanaian universities, indigenous healthcare practices in Ghana can be harnessed to complement the modern healthcare delivery system to meet the country`s current healthcare needs.

The relevance of institutions, in terms of directing or influencing both collective and individual actions in societies, cannot be overemphasized. It is not a coincidence, therefore, that a lot of literature emphasizing the role of institutions in directing social interactions abounds. This paper examines the role of indigenous religious institutions in the empowerment of people using the indigenous/traditional religions in Ghana as a case study. In this study, indigenous institutions refer to the structures or strategies including the worldview, beliefs and practices customs, norms, values, etc. that are designed to empower and at the same time regulate the general attitudes and actions of people in a society. In traditional or indigenous African societies, such institutions are usually underpinned by the local religious thought. Sadly, the importance of traditional religious institutions in empowering people are not as strong as they used to be due to factors such as the weakening...

In the past, teenage pregnancy was very rare among the traditional Akan people, currently, however it has reached an
alarming stage. The traditional rites that were effective in instituting measures that ensured chastity among the Akan
teenagers are now replaced by foreign rites that seem to be less effective. This paper examines teenage pregnancy and its
morality among the traditional Akan of Ghana. The paper discovers that the morality of teenage pregnancy among the
traditional Akan depends on the circumstances under which the pregnancy occurs. The following among others are identified
as the major factors responsible for the upsurge of teenage pregnancy among the Akan: the breakdown of the extended
family system and social cohesion; the influx of foreign cultural and religious practices coupled with the wrong mentality that
indigenous African cultural practices are uncivil. The paper posits that the bragorɔ and kyiribra rites are important
traditional tools which can be refined and used together with other modern methods to remedy the upsurge of teenage
pregnancy and restore the moral sanity that existed among the Akan.

Th e way many Ghanaians relate to the environment now is not the best; they just
do not care about how to handle the environment in a sustainable way. Th ey have
forgotten that life is environment and environment is life due to rapid cultural
change, population explosion etc. Th ere is indiscriminate logging, annual bushfi
res, illegal surface mining, bad farming practices, dumping of human and industrial
wastes into our water bodies and the like. It is estimated that over 90 percent
of Ghana’s high forest has been logged since the late 1940s. Th e sanitation situation
is growing from bad to worst as the records show. All eff orts to salvage the
situation over the years have failed to yield the needed results. It is for this reason
that this paper argues strongly for the inclusion of indigenous Ghanaian religion
and culture in this fi ght, for they have proven to be eco-biased religion and culture
due to the environmentally benefi cial mechanisms inherent in them. Specifi cally,
the traditional Akan use their conception of land, taboos, totemism, sacred groves
and sasa to ensure the conservation of nature. Th erefore, this paper believe, the
time has come for us to forge a common ground in our eff orts to fi nd a lasting
solution to our environmental problems from both the perspectives of science and
that of Indigenous Spiritualities and Culture.

The rate of depletion of plants and animal species in Ghana has assumed an
alarming dimension, and the government is finding it difficult to control the
process. Several factors account for this. A major one is the neglect of the
traditional ecological knowledge prevalent in the culture of Ghana. Sasa is
the Akan word for the spirit believed to be found in some plants and animals.
This paper examines the role of sasa in flora and fauna conservation
in Ghana. Traditional Ghanaians have a strong belief that some plants and
animals have special spirits, which when cut (as in the case with plants) or
killed (animals) can bring serious harm to the person. Thus, such plants and
animals are not eliminated. This paper argues that sasa as an Akan indigenous
conservation tool can complement the modern means of nature conservation
in Ghana.

According to the 2000 government census, approximately 69 percent of Ghana`s population is Christian, 16 percent is Muslim, and 9 percent adheres to traditional indigenous religions or other religions. Other religions include the Baha'i Faith, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Ninchiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai, Sri Sathya Sai Baba Sera, Sat Sang, Eckanker, the Divine Light Mission, Hare Krishna, Rastafarianism, and other international faiths. The multi-religious nature of the Ghanaian society, therefore, makes it very difficult for those in charge of Ghana’s affairs to ignore this reality. No wonder the preamble to the Ghana’s 1992 Constitution is underpinned by religion – “IN THE NAME OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD…”, although it does not officially declare Ghana a religious state. This paper tries to examine the role of religious bodies and the state of Ghana in Religious Education in the current democratic dispensation. In Ghana, the central government fully supports education be it faith-initiated or individual – individual and adopted by government (supply of textbooks and other logistics and teachers` salaries are borne by the central government). The only condition for this support from the government is that Religious Education is presented in a professional way. That is, religious educators do not present their lessons with the view of converting the pupils to a particular faith (this is the work of the theological institutions) but to present every religion in an objective way for the pupils to make their own decisions. This is informed by the fact that the post-independence Constitutions of Ghana guarantee freedom of Religious affiliation. This is aimed at ensuring religious tolerance in the light of the religious pluralism existing in the country today. It is for this reason that the Ghana Education Service (G.E.S.), the education authority in Ghana, had to approve of the content of the syllabus of education particularly those of first and the second cycle schools. Religious bodies in Ghana wield considerable power and in some cases have been able to influence state policies in the areas of law and politics. In Ghana, it has become a defacto condition that in the selection of Presidential candidates, the candidates` religious affiliations are usually considered. Usually, if the presidential candidate is a Christian, a Muslim is preferred as a running mate and vice versa. Christians have 25th December, 26th
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December (Boxing Day), Easter Day and Easter Mondays as statutory Public Holidays. In 1995, the Muslim community in Ghana under the leadership of the national Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, was able to negotiate successfully with the then ruling government, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) under Jerry Rawlings to get two statutory Public Holidays for the celebration of the Eid festivals, that is, “Eid al-Adha” (Feast of sacrifice), which falls on February 2, of every year and the “Eid al-Fitr” (end of Ramadan), November 3-5 depending on when the moon is sighted. In view of the above, it is clear that it will be difficult for any government to neglect the concerns of religious bodies particularly, in matters of education. Therefore, it is apparent that religion and education in Ghana play a major role in the current political democratic dispensation. This conclusion does not necessarily mean that there are no impediments to the teaching of Religious Education in Ghana today. There are some problems which need to be addressed first before the country could sustain and enjoy the full benefits deriving from Religious Education.