Traditional, Legal, and Theological Perspectives on the Ban on Drumming and Noisemaking during the Hɔmɔwɔ Festival
Isaac Boaheng 
Issue: Vol.9 No.7 July 2023 Issue Article 1 pp. 253-267
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.2023971 | Published online 3rd July 2023.
© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The ban on drumming and other forms of noisemaking in the period preceding traditional festivals is not uncommon in Ghana. Every year, the Ga traditional state imposes a one-month ban on noisemaking prior to the celebration of the Hɔmɔwɔ festival. Over the years, the one-month “silence” associated with the Hɔmɔwɔ festival has resulted in several religious conflicts between the Ga Traditional Council and some Christian churches. The religious clashes became prominent in the late 1990s and have since not stopped in spite of many attempts to maintain peace in this period. This research was conducted using literature-based research methodology to assess the ban on noisemaking from the traditional and legal perspectives and to propose a way forward for future celebrations from a theological viewpoint. The paper argued that even though the demand that Christians avoid drumming and noisemaking prior to the Hɔmɔwɔ festival may be considered an infringement upon the religious rights of Christians, it is appropriate to comply with the ban to maintain peace. Complying with the ban does not mean one is compromising their faith; rather it is a step to maintain peaceful co-existence with others on a matter that is not central to the Christian faith.
Keywords: Ban, Churches, Conflict, Ga, Hɔmɔwɔ, Noisemaking
Adjei, Solomon Nii-Mensah. Nyonmo (God) in Ga Tradition and Christian Mission: An Exploration of the Historical Relationship Between the Religious Tradition of the Ga of South Eastern Ghana and Bible Translation and its Implications for Ga Christian Theology. Master of Theology Thesis, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.
Akwetteh, Nathaniel Laryea.“The Road is Blocked”: Symbolisms of Sound and Silence in Ga Hɔmɔwɔ—A Teshie Perspective. MPhil Thesis, University of Ghana, 2017.
Antoine, Rose-Marie Belle. Commonwealth Caribbean Law and Legal Systems. London: Routledge, 1998.
Acquah, Emmanuel Obed, Augusta Arko-Mensah and Michael Ohene-Okantah Jnr., “Music Making and Ban on Drumming Among the Winneba People of Ghana.” Journal of Culture, Society, and Development, Vol.60 (2020): 29-35.
Anum, Eric Nii Bortey. “Biblical Spirituality in the Context of Kpele Songs: The Incarnation and Ancestral Heritage among the Gas of Southern Ghana.” International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE), 1(9) (2014): 145-154.
Arthur, Justice Anquandah. The Politics of Religious Sound: Conflict and the Negotiation of Religious Diversity in Ghana. Berlin: Lit Verlag Dr. W. Hopf, 2018.
Asante, Richard. “Ethnicity, Religion, and Conflict in Ghana: The Roots of Ga Nativism.” Ghana Studies 14: (2011):81-133..
Avorgbedor, Daniel. “Dee Hoo! Sonic articulations in healing and exorcism practices of the Anlo-Ewe.” The world of music, Vol. 42, No. 2 (2000): 9-24.
Ayesu, Solomon Marfo. Empirical Study of Akuapem Odwira Festival and Traditional State Symbols: A Means for Design and Production of Textile Regalia for Akuapem Paramount Chief. Master of Fine Art Thesis, Kwame Nkrumah University Science and Technology, 2015.
Daily Graphic, Ban on drumming: Christians seek middle road as government calls for calm.” Mar 7, 1999 [Accessed from https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Ban-on-drumming-Christians-seek-middle-road-as-government-calls-for-calm-6433 on 16th January, 2023].
De Witte, Marleen. “Accra’s Sounds and Sacred Spaces.” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 32 (3) (2008): 690-709.
Doniger, Wendy (ed). Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions. Chicago, IL: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 2006.
Ghana Review International, 18 May 1999, accessed at http://www.ghanaweb.com news archive.
Kyeyune, Stephen. Shaping the Society Christianity and Culture: Special Reference to the African Culture of Baganda. Bloomington: AuthorHouse, 2012.
Kwakye-Opong, Regina. “Clothing and Identity: Ga Deities and Spiritual Responsibilities.” Arts and Design Studies 25 (2014):47-60.
Lipton, Edward. Religious Freedom in Africa. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2002.
Oduyoye, Modupe. The Sons of the Gods and the Daughters of Men: An Afro-Asiatic Interpretation of Genesis 1-11. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2015.
Osabu-Kle, Daniel Tetteh. “The Ga People and Homowo Festival.” Ghana Culture Magazine, No. 3. Ontario: Carleton University, 2010.
Safo, Amos. “Christianity and tradition on collision.” News and Views on Africa from Africa Issue 39 (1999): 6-12.
Sarpong, Peter Akwasi. “Introductory Remarks: Meeting between Representatives of the Christian Council of Ghana, the Catholic Bishops.” Conference, and the National House of Chiefs 10th December 1997 Daily Graphic.
Siame, Franklin Ansong. “No uncleansed person can touch my hair – Nai Wulɔmɔ,” Myjoyonline (2021). [Accessed from https://www.myjoyonline.com/no-uncleansed-person-can-touch-my-hair-nai-Wulɔmɔ/ on 16th January, 2023].
Tetteh, Rebecca Addo. “Ga Traditional Council: Generators Exempted from Ban on Noisemaking, Peacefmonline.com (2015). [Retrieved online from https://www.peacefmonline.com/pages/local/news/201505/241522.php on 17th December, 2022].
The Republic of Ghana, The 1992 Constitution. Accra: The Republic of Ghana, 1992.
Treve, Wise Kweku. Religious Conflict and its Impacts on Society. Master’s Thesis, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, 2013.
Tsikata, Dzodzi and Wayo Seini. Identities, Inequalities, and Conflicts in Ghana. CRISE Working Paper 5. University of Oxford, Queen Elizabeth House, 2004.
Isaac Boaheng (PhD) is a Lecturer in Theology and Christian Ethics at the Christian Service University College, Ghana. He is also a Research Fellow at the Department of Biblical and Religion Studies, University of the Free State, South Africa. Boaheng is an Ordained Minister of the Methodist Church Ghana serving the Suame Circuit of the Kumasi Diocese.
Boaheng, Isaac. “Traditional, Legal, and Theological Perspectives on the Ban on Drumming and Noisemaking during the Hɔmɔwɔ Festival,” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies, 9 no.7 (2023): 253-267. https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.2023971
© 2023 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Featured
An Exploration into the Public Theology of the Basel Missionary Society in Ghana
The Hidden Bones Apocalypse: The Marker, Its Message, and their Hiddenness
The Enigmatic Presence of “Evil” in the World and Delivery from It: A Critical Look at Matthew 6:13
Review of M. D. Perkins “Dangerous Affirmations: The Threat of ‘Gay Christianity’”
Others
