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01.05.2006 Religion

Stop denigrating indigenous religion -Quashigah

By GNA
Stop denigrating indigenous religion -Quashigah
01.05.2006 LISTEN

Africans have been advised to stop denigrating their traditional system of worship just to replace them with foreign cultures.

Major Courage Quashigah (Rtd), Minister of Health who gave the advice noted that the multiplicity of systems of worship has evolved to become a common tenet of truth and love, therefore, African traditional religion should not play second fiddle to any other. He was addressing the fourth national convention of Africania Mission at Aflao at the weekend.

The three-day convention under the theme: "Let Us Return To Our Roots," was marked with activities, including drumming and dancing, prayers, mystical shows and exhortations. It attracted thousands of followers from all over the country as well as the Republics of Togo and Benin. The convention was to rededicate adherents of African religions to the validity of the African and its worship style in the scheme of what practitioners believed, god revealed to their ancestors. "God is invincible and unexplainable to all humans and no one therefore could assess the credibility of one religion to the other," Major Quashigah said.

He held that what made the African way of life cheapened by others and being "painfully abandoned by Africans themselves" was the failure to whip up regular believe and interest in it, and the inability to document the practice as done by some other religions. He therefore charged the Africania Mission and African intellectuals to consider writing about the African systems for future generations.

Mr Kofi Dzamesi, Volta Regional Minister, called for respect for freedom of religion and association to foster peace in the country. Osofo-Komfo Atsu Kove, Spiritual Leader of the Mission, noted that God gave all things, including the African distinct resemblance in colour, language and religion and revealed Himself to all differently, on how to relate to him.

He therefore asked Africans to re-examine themselves whether it was appropriate for them as people to deny their own humanity and the validity of their forebears and affirm that of others. The detractors of the African religion, according to him, have taken undue advantage of its unparalleled egalitarian nature to influence Africans in addition to persecuting the religion and its followers through misrepresentations.

Togbe Kwasi Dunyo, Chief Priest of Afetor Ku Shrine at Dagbamate, near Akatsi, which serves as a resource centre for some Canadian and American Universities in the study of African religions and traditions, said it was regrettable that Africans were shunning their religion at the time westerners were delving into it.

Togbe Asifodi III, President of the Troxovi Institutional Council asked Africans not to slander and defame their own systems for monetary benefits from their foreign links.

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