The Journey to Nzemaland - Episode 1 (The God who answers by Thunder)
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The journey to Half-Assini from Koforidua began on the dawn of Tuesday, 21st September 1993. Few brethren accompanied us. it took about eight hours to make that journey of about 520 kilometres.
The last 40-kilometre stretch to the town was very rough and virtually un-motorable. Vehicles usually took about an hour to cover the 10-kilometre portion of the road then.
Viewing from a distance, we saw the road like a path through a thick forest. By the grace of God, we were able to go through the muddy and bumpy portions of the road and finally arrived in the town safely, but we were very tired. On, reaching the town, and considering the condition of the road, our impression was completely different from what we had envisaged.
The town was beautifully sited. My family and those who accompanied us were warmly welcomed by officers and some members of the Church who had gathered at the parsonage to await our arrived. The hearty welcome we received encouraged us greatly and, soon, made us forget the pain of the journey, at least for some time.
The presence of certain individuals, such as Elders P A. Horbah, Benjarnin Nyanko, L. K. Ofori, Rex Ofori, E. Forson, J.O. Amoah, Asamoah Boakye, Francis Korne, Godson Nyankatam and Ambrose Mends, who had converged at the place to receive us, created a cordial atmosphere. The words of the Psalmist in Psalm 133 came to mind vividly:
I was ushered into a conflict zone. Though I was not one of the pioneers who took the decision to ignore the orders of the traditional authorities in Jomoro, which ignited the conflict, I was ushered into it, due to my transfer to the district to take over from Rev. Donkor.
I saw it at that time as an unfortunate development, For all intents and purposes, I had become a victim of circumstances. It all started when the out-going minister, Rev. I. L. E. Donkor, handed me a writen report on the affairs of the Church,while boarding a vehicle which was meant to take him and his family to his news station in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
Three days later, in my first Presbytery meeting, I was informed, prior to my arrival, the leadership of the local council of churches; comprising Ministers from the Methodist, Christ Apostolic Church, Word Alive Ministry, Action Pentecostal Church, Church of Christ Spiritual Movement and The Church of Pentecost, had met behind closed doors and decided to ignore a ban on drumming directive issued by the traditional authorities. I was further informed that they had decided not to be intimidated by the ban on drumming and noise making, ordered by the “god of Kundum”, through a traditional priest. Hence, the churches would continue their normal way of worship, including the use of drums.
This two-week ban on drumming had been initiated for the beginning of the celebration of the Kundum festival. The festival itself lasted for a week, but the ban usually started a week earlier. Apart from this, there were many rituals associated with the festival (some of which are discussed in this book) which were contrary to Christian beliefs and practices.
I was further informed that the churches had decided to consult some of the stakeholders and the political authorities in the Jomoro district, namely, the District Chief Executive, the Assistant Superintendent of Police and the Grade One Court Magistrate, to be educated on the Constitution of Ghana, especially on issues relating to the ‘freedom of worship’.
The Ministers, I was informed, were cautioned that, even though the law gave every citizen the right to associate, form or practise any religion with their related mode, form and type of worship, they must tread cautiously because their failure to obey the orders of the traditional authorities could foment trouble. I was reliably informed that the Christian leaders, after they had looked into the pros and cons regarding faith and conscience, had arrived at a decision that their obedience to the ban might also undermine their cherished Faith, and vowed not to allow themselves to be influenced by any man-made rules and dictates of demons, which to them, formed the basis of the Kundum festival.
They decided to reject the order outright. It was confirmed to me that a firm decision had been taken at a meeting of all the congregations of the various churches at a joint Local Council of Churches’ meeting, hosted by the Methodist Church, to ignore the directive on the ban on drumming.
I was, therefore, left with no other option than to follow the decision arrived at by the Local Council of Churches. During the period of the ban, the chiefs and their elders had seriously instructed their gong-gong’ beaters to remind all churches, other religious bodies and the public of the ban on “noise making”, which also included drumming. Interestingly, the shouts of the gong-gong man and the beating of the gong-gong were not considered as noise, even though the ban was already in force. Having listened attentively to the Ministers, I realized a battle had been left for me to fight. I found myself muttering: “God, why me?”
Despite all the announcements and reminders made by the chief of Half-Assini through the gong-gong beaters, the churches disregarded the messages and continued their normal way of worship. I said to myself, “Indeed, a battle has begun”.
The presence of certain individuals, such as Elders P A. Horbah, Benjarnin Nyanko, L. K. Ofori, Rex Ofori, E. Forson, J.O. Amoah, Asamoah Boakye, Francis Korne, Godson Nyankatam and Ambrose Mends, who had converged at the place to receive us, created a cordial atmosphere. The words of the Psalmist in Psalm 133 came to mind vividly:
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like the precious oil poured on the head running down on the beard running down on Aaron 's beard down upon the collar of his robes. It is as U the dew of Herman were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.
"Pastor, There is Conflict”
I was ushered into a conflict zone. Though I was not one of the pioneers who took the decision to ignore the orders of the traditional authorities in Jomoro, which ignited the conflict, I was ushered into it, due to my transfer to the district to take over from Rev. Donkor.
I saw it at that time as an unfortunate development, For all intents and purposes, I had become a victim of circumstances. It all started when the out-going minister, Rev. I. L. E. Donkor, handed me a writen report on the affairs of the Church,while boarding a vehicle which was meant to take him and his family to his news station in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
Three days later, in my first Presbytery meeting, I was informed, prior to my arrival, the leadership of the local council of churches; comprising Ministers from the Methodist, Christ Apostolic Church, Word Alive Ministry, Action Pentecostal Church, Church of Christ Spiritual Movement and The Church of Pentecost, had met behind closed doors and decided to ignore a ban on drumming directive issued by the traditional authorities. I was further informed that they had decided not to be intimidated by the ban on drumming and noise making, ordered by the “god of Kundum”, through a traditional priest. Hence, the churches would continue their normal way of worship, including the use of drums.
This two-week ban on drumming had been initiated for the beginning of the celebration of the Kundum festival. The festival itself lasted for a week, but the ban usually started a week earlier. Apart from this, there were many rituals associated with the festival (some of which are discussed in this book) which were contrary to Christian beliefs and practices.
I was further informed that the churches had decided to consult some of the stakeholders and the political authorities in the Jomoro district, namely, the District Chief Executive, the Assistant Superintendent of Police and the Grade One Court Magistrate, to be educated on the Constitution of Ghana, especially on issues relating to the ‘freedom of worship’.
The Ministers, I was informed, were cautioned that, even though the law gave every citizen the right to associate, form or practise any religion with their related mode, form and type of worship, they must tread cautiously because their failure to obey the orders of the traditional authorities could foment trouble. I was reliably informed that the Christian leaders, after they had looked into the pros and cons regarding faith and conscience, had arrived at a decision that their obedience to the ban might also undermine their cherished Faith, and vowed not to allow themselves to be influenced by any man-made rules and dictates of demons, which to them, formed the basis of the Kundum festival.
They decided to reject the order outright. It was confirmed to me that a firm decision had been taken at a meeting of all the congregations of the various churches at a joint Local Council of Churches’ meeting, hosted by the Methodist Church, to ignore the directive on the ban on drumming.
I was, therefore, left with no other option than to follow the decision arrived at by the Local Council of Churches. During the period of the ban, the chiefs and their elders had seriously instructed their gong-gong’ beaters to remind all churches, other religious bodies and the public of the ban on “noise making”, which also included drumming. Interestingly, the shouts of the gong-gong man and the beating of the gong-gong were not considered as noise, even though the ban was already in force. Having listened attentively to the Ministers, I realized a battle had been left for me to fight. I found myself muttering: “God, why me?”
Despite all the announcements and reminders made by the chief of Half-Assini through the gong-gong beaters, the churches disregarded the messages and continued their normal way of worship. I said to myself, “Indeed, a battle has begun”.
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