"How
can anyone of African descent be worshiping the same tool used to uselessly
murder their ancestors?"
According to a 2012 Gallup
International survey about religiosity and
atheism, Ghana is one of the most religious countries in the world. At first
glance, there is some evidence for this: when you land in Accra, you’ll notice
churches everywhere you go. If you look even closer, you’ll see Mormon
missionaries on their bikes throughout the country.
But are Ghanaians very religious or are they a very
spiritual people invaded by highly organized, predatory religious structures? A
quick Google search will give you countless links to Methodist, Apostolic,
Pentecostal, Latter Day Saints (Mormons), and many other churches, many of them
based in America or funded by Americans. If you do a
search for pastors in Ghana, every single
result on the first page is a link to list of the richest pastors. Where that
information comes from is not as clear as what it expresses: Christianity is
big business in Ghana. Going to church means many things to many people, but
one fundamental aspect of the majority of Sunday masses in Ghana is people with
very little income giving away a substantial amount of their salary to their
pastors.
What's
also disturbing about churches and missionaries spreading their gospel in Ghana
is that Christianity fundamentally rejects any other religious customs. For
Ghanaians, that means any spiritual practices which preceded
colonizers—spiritual practices that are often misunderstood and grouped into
the animist and polytheist boxes. Given the big role that religion plays in
Ghana, this rejection creates a cycle of self-hatred that arises from the
conflict of adoring a foreign deity that demands the rejection of elements of
local culture and tradition.
"They
took away our spirituality and gave us religion; they banned us from gathering
under a tree by the fireside and herded us into churches."—Wanlov
Music artist Azizaa and
rapper/video director Wanlov
the Kubolorrecently tackled this issue head-on
with the video for Azizaa’s “Black Magic Woman” (watch it above). Growing up
between Accra and New York, Azizaa is a rising voice in Ghana. She speaks and
occasionally sings in her native Ewe tongue, and has managed to always stay in
touch with her Ghanaian roots. Wanlov—who featured in the very first
Lungu Lungu column—is one of the most vocal
rappers on the continent, using humor and parody to bring up difficult issues,
both in his solo work and as one half of Ghanaian rap duo FOKN Bois.
In 2014, he co-directed the pidgin musical Coz ov Moni 2 and has
continued to play a role behind the camera ever since, as he did for Azizaa's
video. The FADER caught up with the pair to ask them about “Black Magic Woman”
and their take on religion in Ghana.
The opening scene of the "Black Magic Woman" video
shows two young Christians pressuring a young woman in the name of
Christianity. Does this reflect pressures you observe or personally feel?
AZIZAA: Yes, these pastors are something
else. I've seen and heard worse—this is just a lighthearted version of a cold,
harsh, bitter reality. I've seen trotro preachers
aiming their messages at me to repent because of my nose and lip rings, and the
blue/green/purple hair. This is not just it—I think Christianity should be
banned and made illegal in Ghana, and all of Africa. How can anyone of African
descent be worshiping the same tool used to uselessly murder their ancestors?
WANLOV: There are many videos from Ghana
circulating of church members caught in the very act they preach against. This
is because their religion shames a natural act and when nature calls very few
can resist.
Is "black magic" an expression used in Ghana? If so,
what does it refer to?
AZIZAA: The term black magic is loosely
used in Ghana just about as much as juju. Ghanians are very religious and
somehow still manage to be very superstitious. I have yet to understand that.
Every death in Ghana has a superstitious tale behind it .
WANLOV: Not verbatim...we call it agbala or juju. It refers to any
spiritual practice which is not Muslim or Christian.
What are the implications of Azizaa being portrayed as a
"black magic woman" in the video? How would you expect this to be
interpreted in Ghana?
AZIZAA: For me, being interpreted as the
"bad" person is never a problem because I know who I am and I am very
comfortable with myself. In the video we bring light to a huge problem in Ghana, or Africa as a
whole, one that many refuse to acknowledge. Many religious leaders are abusing
the people in different ways and taking advantage due to vulnerability and
desperation of the people. It's also a mental problem. Hoarding—to hold on to
as much money as possible, in order to live like colonial masters.
WANLOV: The older closed-minded generation
will not approve, but the seeking youth and the open-minded will love her.
"History
has it that the colonial masters came with the Bible and the gun, gave the
Bible to the Africans, as they pointed their guns at their heads. "—Azizaa
Is the strength of Christianity in Ghana left over from colonial times or is there more to it?
AZIZAA: History has it that the colonial
masters came with the Bible and the gun, gave the Bible to the Africans, as
they pointed their guns at their heads.
WANLOV: It is a perfect self-perpetuating
system. They took away our spirituality and gave us religion; they banned us
from gathering under a tree by the fireside and herded us into churches. Now we
love going to church, because it is the only place we can have a weekend
retreat from the mundane work week cycle also imposed on us by the colonials.
I have been told that most people in Ghana will not admit they
practice or believe in juju, yet fear juju and resort to it when all else
fails, in particular Christianity. What does that mean?
WANLOV: It means there is still hope for
us. We have not completely been brainwashed. More and more pastors now have
traditional deities they secretly consult. They do not fully believe in their
religion, but are duping others to do so in order to have control over them to
survive off them because the system is getting harder and harder to live in.
AZIZAA: In
Ghana, most people believe in following the crowd just to stay alive, not to be
scrutinized. There is stigma attached to vodou[voodoo], so
Christianity is a very safe choice. But deep down, in their souls, hearts and
minds, they can't fight or ignore the voice that tells them to go back to their
roots, sankofa, it's
the only thing that works. The Christian thing is just another way of slavery
taking its toll and Ghanaians copying and pasting blindly. Ghanaians don't like
blood, they prefer to poison instead of shooting or stabbing, so they would
juju their enemy to keep themselves safe. Not many would know, it's not as loud
as a gunshot, nor as messy as a knife wound.
What would be the outcome of a fight involving John Mahama, the
current president of Ghana who has been highly criticized for his incompetence,
TB Joshua, probably the richest pastor in Africa, and Mamiwata, the Goddess of
water?
