Oguaa Journal of Religion and Human Values

The role of culture and law in sustaining trokosi institution in southern Ghana

Victor Selorme Gedzi — 2019-12-01

The study carefully examined trokosi—the keeping of virgins (henceforth referring always to girls and not boys) in traditional religious shrines in Ghana, using a shrine in Afife as a case study. The study tried to find out whether culture, including its primary constituent, religion, and law play any role in sustaining the trokosi institution in spite of efforts by the Ghana Government and human rights activists to eliminate it. The study used qualitative approach that involved in-depth interviews with key informants, local people, and observation. The primary data was supplemented by relevant secondary data. The research identified that trokosi as an institution persists because of its use of religio-cultural techniques such as social structuring and meaning. Other findings that sustain the institution include the overt endorsement of the religio-cultural institution by local and international human rights laws; government‘s inability to enforce criminal laws; government officials‘ and trokosi practitioners‘ fear of reprisals from the traditional god that is the basis of the institution; and indigenes‘ adamancy to preserve trokosi as a religio-cultural heritage even if it infringes on fundamental human rights of women and girls. The study is important because, among other things, it contributes to existing discourses on religious and cultural institutions and practices both locally and internationally.

Yuroba witchcraft beliefs and their impact on the stability of Muslim marriages in Yorubaland

Egbeolowo Dauda Ashir — 2019-12-01

The history of Yorùbá belief in witchcraft is as old as the existence of the Yorùbá race itself. By naming the witch Ìyáàmi-Àjé̩ (my mother witch), the Yoruba betray their biased attribution of witchcraft to the feminine personality. Only women are witches. They are responsible for misfortunes, illness, poverty, untimely death, and inability to gain promotion at work, childlessness in women, impotence in men and many other evils in human societies. However, some witches are said to be Àjé̩-Funfun (white witches) who use their power for the betterment of their families. This belief is held not only by non-adherents of Islam in Yorùbá. Many Muslims also share this belief, which seems to impact negatively on their lives, most importantly on the stability of their marriages. Little wonder then that there are incessant cases of marital disputes caused by accusations and counter accusations by members of Muslim families of one bewitching the other. Often, these accusations occur between mothers and daughters-in-law or stepmothers and step daughters. The study, therefore, examines the impact of the belief in witchcraft on the stability of Muslim marriages in Yorubaland with the aim of proffering solutions from the Islamic point of view.

A review of the criticisms against Prophet Muhammad’s marriage with Zaynab Bint Jahsh

Abdulwahab Danladi Shittu — 2019-12-01

Since the 7th century, we have had criticisms of Prophet Mohammed for his preaching of monotheism by his non-Muslim Arab contemporaries and his discussions on Jewish Faith by Jewish Arabs. During the middle ages, various western and Byzantine Christian thinkers described the Middle East as a hotbed of sexuality and Prophet Muhammad‟s marriage came to be a focal point of criticism in biographical writings. Western critics such as William Montgomery Watt, Dermenghem, Washington Irving, Lammens, William Muir and Karen Armstrong considered Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) to be lustful in his marriage to his wives.His marriage with Zaynab bint Jahsh, more than others, attracted bitterer criticism. Unfortunately, the early Arabic sources relied upon by critics lack scientific. It is against this assertion that this paper re-examined existing literature on the issue and identified the relevance of the marriage to the contemporary time using a combination of historical and exegetical research methods. Historical method is necessary in this work because the author researched into works on biography to study the view of biographers on the personalities discussed. Exegetical works on the Qur‟an are also consulted to navigate the views of exegetes on the verses that relate to the subject matter. The aim of this work is to probe the authenticity of sources relied upon by critics and to relate the lessons in the marriage to the contemporary time. Findings show that the criticism of Prophet Muhammad‟s marriage to Zainab lacks objectivity and so requires a review for the sake of moral justice.

A religio-philosophical analysis of freewill and determinism in relation to the Yoruba perception of Ori

Babajide Olugbenga Dasaolu — 2019-12-01

There is much debate regarding the seeming contradictions and ambivalence in the metaphysical concepts of freewill and determinism. Several interpretations have been given by various African philosophers on what freewill or determinism connote. In this regard, the traditional Yoruba conception of freewill and determinism is replete with contradictions by virtue of their perception of human destiny which is variously chosen by the people. This paper argues that the Yoruba have a two-sided conception of destiny, as something given and unalterable and yet alterable under certain circumstances and conditions. The conception of destiny appears problematic. On the other hand, the Yoruba are regarded as determinist but not fatalist. Thus, it could be argued that the Yoruba could be seen as both freewillers and determinists. It is in this perspective that this paper does a critique of freewill and determinism in relation to Yoruba perception of Ori using a philosophical methodology. Therefore, the paper offers and defends soft determinism as a better alternative to the causal explanatory paradigm among the Yoruba.

Metaphorical mapping of civic and Christian responsibilities in Mark 12:13-17: Implications for petty traders and revenue collectors in Kumasi, Ghana

Alice M. Nsiah — 2019-12-01

The article explores the meaning of Mark 12:13-17 in the light of the apparent contention between petty traders and revenue collectors in Kumasi. The philosophy behind the work is that while the meaning of the statement “render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” is ambiguous, it was able to challenge and provoke both parties (Herodians and Pharisees) to truly reflect their motives for accepting or rejecting taxation. In this study, the teaching of Jesus is taken as a metaphoric statement with the capacity to generate multiple meanings. The study uses the technique of Lakoff1 to map the attitudes of the Herodians and Pharisees unto revenue collectors and petty traders as supporters and rejecters of taxation respectively, and in dialogue with Jesus. In this way, the statement of Jesus becomes a double-edged sword inducing appropriate responses from each group. The study concludes that honesty in the sight of God should be the attitudes of both petty traders (in declaring their monthly returns) and revenue collectors (in their modus operandi) to avoid corruption so that they may both render what is due to God and to Caesar. The study recommends that revenue collectors and petty traders work as partners with common interest rather than as opponents to be defeated since they are both images of God and citizens of Ghana.

A critical study of the translation of Mark 1:12 in the Dangme translation of the Bible

Jonathan Edward Tetteh Kuwornu-Adjaottor — 2019-12-01

Bible translation from the Source Languages (SL) to Receptor Languages (RL) is not a straightforward exercise. The question is whether Bible translation involves interpretation. Using the mother-tongue biblical hermeneutics approach, this study sought to examine Mark 1:12 in the Dangme Bible, comparing it with the Greek. Its objective was to find out whether the translation of the Greek in Dangme kai euthus to pneuma auton ekballei eis tēn erēmon as Amlônôuuô, Mumi Klôuklôuô tsε eyi se kε ho nga a nôya (‘Immediately, The Holy Spirit pushed him by head from behind into the wilderness’) generates a new meaning. The study found out that the translation of ekballein into Dangme was a problem that confronted the translator; this was because the word implies a strong action. On the other hand, indigenous Dangme Bible readers did not understand how the Holy Spirit could “push” Jesus into the wilderness. It is being proposed that the translation of Mark 1:12 in the Dangme Bible should be Amlôô mi nôuuô, Mumiô ha nε e ho nga a nôya (Immediately the Spirit made him go into the wilderness). The study has thus added to the varied translations and interpretations of Mark 1:12.