Traditional African Religion in Ghanaian Public Universities: Ritual Practice, Cultural Continuity, and Contestation at Commonwealth Hall, University of Ghana
Publication information:
Abstract
Traditional African religious practices remain deeply embedded in Ghanaian public universities, particularly within masculine halls of residence such as Commonwealth Hall at the University of Ghana. This study challenges assumptions of universities as exclusively Westernised and secular spaces by examining ritual practices including chanting (jama), libation pouring, and sacrificial offerings. Using ethnographic methods and 165 semi-structured interviews, the study explores the persistence, transmission, and contestation of these traditions amid modernisation and globalisation. Findings reveal that while students view these practices as fostering leadership, identity, and Africanist consciousness, university authorities often interpret them as socially disruptive, resulting in periodic suppression.
Presenter Biography
Ohene Agyemang Opoku, a Ghanaian, obtained a PhD in International Relations from Jinan University, Guangzhou, PRC. He has a Master of Philosophy degree in Political Science from the University of Ghana and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Political Science with Linguistics from the University of Ghana, Legon. His main research interests include Africa-China relations, China’s Soft Power in Africa, African migrants in China, Chinese enterprises and migrants in Africa, African Communities in China and community governance, and China’s higher education and African students’ migration. Group incorporation and discrimination against minority in groups. His PhD dissertation examined China’s Soft Power in Ghana. He worked on international research with Cologne, Germany, as a collaborator on the topic: Communication during and after COVID-19 (re)producing social inequalities and/or opportunities among African migrants in China. He is an independent researcher and visiting scholar at Jinan University, and also teaches English. He teaches English at Jinan Zhangqiu Bilingual School, PRC. He is working on Chinese students' political socialization of Xi Jinping's thought and nationalism education in China.