JULY MONTHLY CHALLENGE

Dancing in the Church

Another festival-like experience in Ghana

Have you ever laughed in a church? Like really from your belly? And have you ever danced inside a church? I’m not sure about you, but none of these activities have I ever connected with going to the church on Sunday.

Going to church in Germany meant to me sitting for an hour, singing old songs, and trying not to fall asleep. Doing my best of staying quiet and not disturbing the church community.

Yes, as you can hear from my words — I’m not a churchgoer or a religious person in general. But I am curious about getting to know different cultures and traditions and this is where the story begins.

It started on one of my first weekends in Ghana. Back in late 2014 when I was in the country for some volunteer work I woke up early in the morning and heard loud party music.

It was Sunday morning, who was having a big party was my question. But my host parents explained that there was no party around. The music comes from the church.

The church?

Party music in the church? That type of music that makes me want to dance is what they play here in the church? This was something I had to explore a bit more.

Now, I was curious.

On my second weekend in the country, I went to the church together with my host family and two other volunteers.

My first problem of what I should wear was quickly solved. I thought I would need to find some black and formal clothing. But my host mom told me to wear my most colorful dress. Even if it was showing my shoulders or knees, it didn’t matter. It was a pretty one, she said.

Arriving at the church

We entered the church. There were people sitting in a circle in three corners of the room. Mavis, our host mother was explaining to us that this was the questioning time. Everyone can ask questions about God and religion in general.

We sat down in a corner where only women were sitting.

In another corner, I could see a lot of young adults. Women and men mixed together. All of them seemed to be very interested. In the last group, I was able to spot our host father.

I was trying to listen to the leader of our group. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand a word. Instead, I was watching the group. The women were all wearing beautiful, colorful dresses. Some head a scarf on their head, some just perfectly styled hair.

Outside of the church, on the streets, I rarely ever see women with a head scarf.

Nothing of this ceremony reminds me of a German church. There’s no sad black to be found. Everyone is dressed in the most colorful way. Even the men.

The church service

After about half an hour of sitting in the corner, we took the chairs again and placed them in rows. The service was beginning.

Someone started to talk and I later found out this was not the priest. The man was greeting the community. The people repeated some of his words and were clapping in between.

A woman took over and began to sing a song together with the community. Only then the priest was taking over. He spoke English and greeted the three of us, the only white people in the church.

The priest then continued in the local language and I had time to look around. One poster on the wall took my attention.

„no prayer — no power less prayer — less power much prayer — much power“

Yes, faith is here everything. After all, this is a church even if it’s very different from the churches I’ve been to before.

Another woman was stepping to the front. She was wearing a skin-tight, floor-length blue dress together with high heels and a beautiful hairstyle. She took the micro in her hand.

She was shining from within. Immediately, I couldn’t resist but smile. She had such an amazing appearance. She was like a sparkle.

Then, she began to sing. Music was joining her voice. Except for common instruments, I also spotted and heard some different kinds of bells and men with claves.

Everyone got up. Some started to dance, some were walking around between the rows. Others were just moving to the rhythm of the music on the spot. Even I started to move. I liked the music.

It got very loud in the church. Some people were lifting their arms reaching for the sky while singing loudly.

After the song, we all sat down again. Different women were going to the front and talking to the community. Our host mother explained to us that they were sharing experiences with God.

One woman turned towards us. We should get up and come to the front. Everyone was cheering. The two other volunteers pushed me in front of them.

I was hesitant but took the microphone.

„My name is Anne. I come from Germany and I’m staying with Mavis and Richard in Mampong. I work at the Babies home.“

Everyone was cheering again. That was easy. The other girls also introduced themselves and then our host mom thanked us for our service in the name of the community.

We went back to our seats and the lady in the blue dress took over again. She had a beautiful voice. She was singing and we were all encouraged to dance as well.

One of the other volunteers was saying she can’t dance. I told her to just move to the rhythm. The melody of the music in the church didn’t differ much from the music we play in a disco.

Eventually, we were surrounded by other women who were all dancing with us. The priest came over and took a picture of us with his IPad. Then he also began to dance. Many were bringing out their phones to take a picture. Of us. We were indeed the attraction of today’s church service.

I would guess we were dancing for about half an hour before the music stopped and we all went back to our seats. The woman sitting next to me smiled and said „thank you — you looked nice“.

Yes, the Ghanaian people are all very friendly and polite.

The sermon

Now only the sermon was starting. The priest was taking over. He was talking about “the earth trembles”. But I couldn’t follow his words. Just like in Germany. But over there it is not a language problem.

He was talking in Twi, one of the 66 languages spoken in the country. Now and then he added some English words in between

The priest was walking up and down while speaking freely. He wasn’t reading off a paper. He was talking loud and clear. He was moving his arms a lot giving his words more power.

In between, the community was cheering. And laughing. Yes, sometimes the entire church community was laughing out loud. Unfortunately, I couldn’t laugh with them.

But I could feel the atmosphere. The priest was a good talker. His words were gripping. The community was listening in silence and excitement. Even me. Even though I didn’t understand a word. I still wanted to watch him and listen.

I felt his speech.

He was talking about war and about fear. Those were two of the words I could filter out of the rest said in Twi. He repeatedly said “the earth trembles”.

I don’t know if the sermon did differ a lot from one in Germany. At least not contentwise. But a lot in the way he presented his words. The excitement was to be felt in every single one of his words.

He spoke with enthusiasm.

Nothing compared to the slow, sleepy voices I usually listened to.

His presentation in front of the community reminded me more of a speaker of a demonstration. Not a priest. Well, someone who wants to convince you of something. And that was what he was achieving. He convinced the community of faith in God.

The end of the visit

The church service was ending with the words “God bless you“. The words Ghanaians use to say goodbye to each other. After 2,5 hours the service was finished. It sounds incredibly long. But it felt much shorter than a one-hour-long service in Germany.

Time is relative.

I didn’t yawn a single time during the ceremony. And I think that’s a first.

By the way. The road in front of the church isn’t all parked up. Most people arrived on foot. A few came with the taxi like us. And we all did fit into the vehicle. 8 people. And no, these taxis aren’t any bigger than the ones you know.

People are just more flexible and more creative. I’d say.

I truly enjoyed the time in the church. It didn't change me. As a non-believing person. But it changed my understanding of what a church visit can be like. And it gave me a very interesting experience in the traditions of another culture.

“Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

The story was originally told and written in German on my website. 19.10.2014

This was a writing prompt response to the monthly challenge of Globetrotters.

Celebrations around the world

This writing challenge runs through the month of July. The last day for submissions is the 30th. Here is a list of the latest articles for you to find inspiration:

Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages with “A Graduation Celebration in Bulgaria” and “Celebrating the Strangest Ramadan In Morocco”

Janin Lyndovsky with “Christmas — The Same Festival Yet So Many Ways to Celebrate”

Osan Fernando with “Celebrating Thanksgiving Day And Lighting Of The Christmas Trees In New York”

More celebrations around the world:

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