Living in Ghana as a Westerner can sometimes be a little overwhelming. Cultural differences are ubiquitous and it can take time to adjust to what can be a strange and alien environment for first time visitors. I first visited Ghana four years ago, working as a teacher in a primary and junior high school in Senya Beraku in the Central Region.
The incessant attention from taxi drivers, the pungent smell coming from the roadside drains, the intense sun and the abject poverty are just some of the challenges that foreigners have to face. One thing that really makes an impression is the blatant promotion of religion.
Loudspeakers blast gospel music at a horrific intensity, people preach through loudspeakers on street corners and shops, restaurants and bars are plastered with slogans like, ‘Christ is Fashion Women’s Wear,’ ‘The Lord is my Shepherd Chop Bar,’ ‘God is Wonderful Furniture Works,’ and ‘Jesus Loves Nails Salon,’ to name a few.
Tro-tro’s bear slogans such as ‘Jesus Loves Me,’ ‘God is Good,’ and ‘Have Faith in Me.’ Often I’ve been waiting for a car to fill up and had a passenger start quoting the Bible or had a pastor jump on board to bless the journey. I don’t think I’ll ever forget my very first evening in Senya Beraku, when excited but overwhelmed by the culture shock, I took a walk in the area outside my house and ended up meeting an elderly woman, dressed from head to toe in bright blue and pink material.
She cried out ‘welcome, welcome!’ before peering into my face and promptly asking what church I attended. She smiled at me inquisitively, her face inches from my own. For a few seconds I was perplexed, my mind whirling as I frantically tried to respond to her in a competent manner. I tentatively told her I attended the Church of Scotland where the services are comparable to those of the Methodist Church.
To my relief she grinned and shook my hand, and joyfully told me she too attended a Methodist Church and told me I must one day attend with her. I smiled and said I would love to, keen to experience as much of Ghanaian life as possible. Before anything else could be said she quickly turned and walked away, leaving me in a state of bewilderment.
I had only been in Ghana for a matter of hours before this encounter. To this day I do not know the woman’s name or even what church she attended.
Religion is deeply valued and respected in Ghana, with 90 percent of Ghanaians said to attend church on a weekly basis. I have been fortunate to have attended many services and can honestly say I enjoyed each and every one. I love the lively music, beautiful singing and crazy and uninhibited dancing. I’ve noticed that many people in Ghana use church as a social gathering, and I love the sense of community spirit that you get from attending a service.
It is a sharp contrast from church in my home country of Scotland. Services barely last forty five minutes and it is often a very serious, rigid affair. There is certainly no dancing in the aisle or live band playing gospel music.
It is estimated that only one in ten people attend church in Scotland. I find this deeply discontenting and after witnessing the dozens of people in attendance at any one service in Ghana, I often think Scottish churches could learn a lot from ones in Ghana.
It is a sad fact that in the Western World we are often too busy to relax or take time to attend church. Unfortunately Sunday is no longer a ‘day of rest,’ for many people, is it rather a day just like every other. Shops remain open and after an exhausting week at work many just want to relax with their families.
I often wish that my home country would incorporate some the things I love so much about church in Ghana and perhaps it would encourage more people to attend.
However, I do think services in Ghana are unnecessarily long. I’ve often sat for over three hours in the stifling heat, listening to Pastors shout fanatically through a microphone as if by yelling things will be more coherent. I’ve watched as old ladies fall asleep and people chat on their mobile phones. I’ve noticed people leaving half way through the service, or turning up in the middle. Is there really the need to spend the better part of a Sunday morning in church?
The completely excessive levels of noise leave a lot to be desired. I was often woken at 4am whilst living in Senya Beraku by singing, praying or preaching and it usually didn’t end until early morning. It is frustrating and irritating not being able to sleep because of church. Is it really necessary to spend half the night praying as loudly as possible?
Without so much emphasis on religion on a day to day basis, I feel there is no need to continue when the rest of the country is trying to sleep.
Recently, The Christian Council of Ghana urged churches to comply with directives of city authorities not to make too much noise. 
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