Just Dance

What shop do you work at?

“God Only Knows.”

This can be more literal than it seems.

It’s hard to keep a straight face when passing shop after shop bearing eccentric names such as Jesus Above All Trading, Jesus is Saviour Repairs, God Lives Bar, Trust Him Always Food Spot… On a shopping spree around the nearest town, Shama Junction, you can get your hair done in Hebrews 13:8 hair salon, get a dress made in As God Wills boutique, and get buried with God’s Time funeral services.

Shops, road names, T-shirt slogans; God is everywhere in Ghana.

It's a given that a Ghanaian believes in God. The question is: how do they worship him? Catholics, Methodists, Pentecostals, Anglicans, Baptists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses are well represented. Even Mormons can be seen roaming the odd town in their white shirts and rucksacks. American guitar worship songs are all over the radio stations, and the streets are filled with billboards advertising the latest “awakening” or “spiritual journey” offered to a lucky few thousand worshippers.

Muslims make up around 15% of the population, co-existing peacefully alongside Christians in a way which would make the UK envious. The remainder are believers in the more traditional religions of Africa, with their spooky witchcraft and wizardry. 

More significantly, there isn't an atheist in sight. To countless Ghanaians, God is real and he actually matters; church is not just something they do. Without God their lives don’t make sense, and he gives purpose to their impossibly tough work or mundane routine - no matter how poor they are. It’s pretty humbling to see, to be honest!

Sunday's are sacred days, markets are quiet and everyone is in church. This morning the students at my school were up bright and early in their pristine Sunday whites, cheerfully going about their business with an extra spring in their step. The school holds a lively service for all denominations, involving some of the more disturbing elements of charismatic African worship. It is always entertaining and amazing fun to be at – no snoozing in the sermon here! There is enough singing and dancing to make you dizzy.

Ghanaians love dancing. It's not unusual to see spontaneous dance troupes begin in the street, for no reason other than there is a drum or loud radio playing. And this is no awkward nightclub dancing we’re talking about here; it’s more dad-dancing, if anything. Don’t get me wrong – the dancing is incredible. But there is no shame in dancing badly, thankfully for me! It’s just for some reason Africans always look unbelievably cool when they are doing it.

Beach shindig

In church the dancing is more restrained, however, but with the same tap-dancing footsteps and extravagant arm movements, moving along to everything from local tribal songs to an upbeat “Abide with me.” It's a work-out for both soul and body, and the congregation leaves church gasping for water with sweat pouring from their brows (me included.) 

A change of outfit is needed pronto, which is something of a recurring theme for me here - I’m currently going through an average of 3 changes of clothes per day!

It’s exam time at school this week. Needless to say, there has been an added urgency to morning prayers.