Clap Your Hands for Jesus

Ghana, as many of the locals have estimated, is about 75% Christian. Muslims make up roughly 25% and the other 5% goes to the Pagans, or, practicioneers of the Fetish tradition.
The numbers may be a little skewed as I have heard that the ways of the Festish have seeped into some of the churches by way of the pastors visiting the Festish markets and priests to gain protection and powers beyond the human realm. I have also heard that some of the Fetish practices have mixed and mingled in other minor ways with some of the Christian practices.
Either way, the Christian influence, brought on by the British who colonized Ghana, is overwhelmingly obvious. The local shop signs slap you in the face with a great show of dedication from the owners to the gospel - "By His Grace Communications Centre," "Through God All Things are Possible Carving Shop," "Clap Your Hands for Jesus Hair Salon" and so on and so forth.
On one of our final days of training I went to the grounds early to get a private tutorial from my guitar teacher, Obuobi. I could hear voices coming from the training ground which was unusual at this early hour and as I creaked open the wooden gate I was shot with over a dozen glances at my sudden intrusion into this now sacred space. I quickly retreated to the corner where Obuobi was waiting for me and watched as person after person was exorcised of the demons within by a revered local pastor.
Women were being braced by individuals flanking each side while the pastor had his hand upon the forehead of the demonized, reciting passages of the gospel and pleading to God. Many of those that were being exorcised were sent into convulsions and some were even brought to fits of vomitting.
After the pastor had finished with the morning's work, he approached me, introduced himself, asked if I was a Christian and then asked me if I had a friend named Michael. Upon my affirmation of his question he told me that I must pray for Michael, as the devil was trying to take him in with the drink.
Whether or not there is any truth to this prophesy, and considering the fact that there are many Michaels in this world, myself having more than one friend named Michael, the effect of it managed to get my head and heart spinning.
Now, speaking of ways in which the western world has encroached upon the life of Ghanians I will now move onto what I have promised to talk about in my last 3 blogs: Hip Life.
Hip life is a mixture of American hip hop and the tradtional Ghanian High Life.
High life comes in three forms - the first being rural high life which is the traditional stripped back, guitar centred lilting rhythms and beautiful melodies mostly in the major keys, the second being urban high life which is a mixture of European jazz and the traditional high life and now hip life.
Unfortunately, hip life has embraced everything that is deplorable about the American hip hop culture - things like treating women badly and viewing them as nothing more than sexual fantasies, violence, drugs, bling, and money. It is destroying the traditional ways amongst the Ghanian youth from they way they dress, to how they act, to what they value and has managed to enrage many of the elders who are working to promote and preserve tradition.
It's funny because hip hop originated in the African communities in the Americas, and was originally used as a united voice against the oppression and squalor they were living in. This is not to say that some hip hop artists aren't still using it for this purpose because from what little I know about hip hop, I know some of them are.
And with this, I think I will end my blog as I have to get to one of my final tutorials of this tour.
Thank you again for your comments. Whether or not I am able to reply to them, know that I read each and every one and am uplifted upon receiving them.
Until next time...
David