Written by: Tor-Einar Siebke, Ingvild Lekve, Seth Aduo and Sarah Adjei-Larbi
The expressions of faith in public imagery in Winneba, Ghana
One will not be surprised to find cultural differences between Ghanaians and Norwegians as people. One such difference, that has become evident for us during our work together, concerns the religious life. Religion is far more prevalent in Ghana and one way this becomes visible is through the diverse and multiple expressions of faith in public imagery. We found this to be a fascinating example of an Atlantic connection due to how Ghanaian religious life was influenced by European missionary work. With this in mind we formulated the following research questions focusing on the background, intentions and effects of the expressions of faith that can be found throughout Winneba’s various posters, signs and social media posts made by both private citizens and certain religious institutions:
How can we trace the development of the large diversity of expressions of faith in public imagery in Winneba, Ghana, back to European religious influence through the transatlantic system? What are the intentions and effects of these public expressions of faith?
Background
The European influence in the area then known as the Gold Coast, started with the establishment of the Portuguese trading stations in 1471.1 The Portuguese created settlements and stayed for two centuries, mostly for trade purposes, and other nations like the Dutch, English and Danish/Norwegian followed. Despite initially focusing on economic gain over religion, Christianity was to become one of the greatest contributions of the European presence in the country.2 The actual christianization of what was to become Ghana mainly started with missionary work in the 1820s. Before that, the work of priests and vicars were mostly for the benefit of the Europeans and their children as they performed ceremonies and taught at the schools at the castles and forts.3 Later in colonial and post-colonial times, the spread of Christianity intensified as European influences came to dominate the religious landscape.
Christianity in Ghana today
About 60 per cent of the population in Ghana today are Christian.4 The four dominating groups consist of Catholics, Protestants, the Classical Pentecostal churches, and the African Instituted Churches5 which vary in practice, doctrines, and ideology, amongst other things. In addition to creating accounts on social media like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Instagram, the different congregations stay modern and relevant by using technological devices during church activities. Posters such as those in focus in this text, do not necessarily serve a function during the sermons, but is rather used as a tool to spread God’s word to various communities.
Reasons/explanations
According to local sources, these kinds of posters started showing up around 10-20 years ago. This might be due to some change in the way of public religious expression, but we think the explanation is rather more pragmatic. We believe the reasons are related to the availability of more affordable means of production. The development and spread of digital technology and printers made it possible for more people to create larger and more professional posters. This caused a miniature iconographic arms race where more and more people used the technology to attract attention and spread their views.
Religion carries the potential for economic gain and in recent times many so called one man-churches have shifted their focus from helping people to exploit them for their money. They earn money through the sale of merchandise and other goods, and by taking consultation fees. Some of the posters can therefore be viewed as advertisements that seek to gather more people to their congregation. Some of the posters are also without any connection to a particular church and seems to just be a reminder of God and hell and an order to repent and accept Jesus. These seem to have been made by people with a more direct and personal interest in faith and redemption. They carry none or few similarities with the advertisements because they are very simple both in message and design and have no identifying features. The last category that emerges is the more private and personal commemorations of lost loved ones were those who are left behind hang posters that bear the image of the deceased and expressions of love and loss.
Effect
With this much time, effort and money dedicated to promote various religious messages or events, the natural question to ask is whether it actually works. Are these images attracting or influencing people the way their creators hoped? The posters rely on the importance of religion in most people’s life and for those who notice them because they have the necessary interest or affiliation, these posters can bring daily inspiration and encouragement. Images easily attract the attention of people and as they say “a picture is more worth than a thousand words”.
The word of God combined with powerful images ensure that the impact is maximized and has the ability to change lives. However, there seems to be a cultural difference when it comes to what catches our attention. The Norwegian students find the posters more overwhelming than their Ghanaian counterparts. This is related to the by comparison virtually non-existent presence of the church in public in Norway. The more private nature of faith and steady decline of religion in Norway makes the cornucopia of religious expression in Ghana seem more like a cacophony. The signs and posters have their desired effect on local Ghanaians because of their connection to a society were religion still has a strong presence and importance in people’s lives.
Conclusion
As the examples have shown there seem to be several intentions behind the expression of faith in public imagery. Some of them are related to the possibility for economic gain, intent on getting the attention of people to get their money, while others actually want to encourage people to find Jesus, and some just want to honour loved ones which they have lost and believe to be in a better place. No matter the reason, it is evident that Ghana’s connection to the transatlantic system has had strong and long term effects on their religious life and that one of the distinguishing features of this is the multiple and plentiful expressions of faith throughout the public imagery.
Notes:
1 Dantzig, Albert van. (1980). Forts and castles of Ghana. Sedco Publishing Limited: Accra, p. 2
2 Buah F. K. (1998). A History of Ghana. Macmillan: Macmillan Publishers Limited, p. 65
3 Dantzig, 1980, p. 87
4 Jane E Soothill (2007) Gender, Social Change and Spiritual Power: Charismatic Christianity in Ghana. Brill: Boston, p. 1
5 Soothill, 2007, p. 1