ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY AND AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS IN FANTE FUNERAL PRACTICES : A critical discussion of the funeral practices of the Fantes in Ghana

Abstract

The study is about the Encounters between Christianity and the African Traditional Religions in Fante Funeral Practices. The research sought to answer the following questions; how do funeral rituals differ from rural-inland communities like Enyan-Maim and Etsii-Sonkwaa differ from urban-coastal communities like Cape-Coast, what form does the Encounters between Christianity and the African Traditional Religions in Fante funeral practices take, and what effect do the practices have on the individual ? At the end of the research, I arrived at the following conclusions: That tension between Christianity and the African Traditional Religions are more contentious in the urban areas. At the rural areas there seems to be a comfortable marriage of the two. They don’t see anything wrong with the mixture of the two religions. They happily perform rituals together. I also concluded that an adoption of contextual theology and its anthropological model it appears may be the only way of getting urban Christians to tolerate traditional religious practices, and those who seek to mix the two traditions in funeral practices, but in doing this the fundamentals of the Christian faith should not be shredded away. I also observed that in the urban areas, people are more guarded with their emotions and resources as compared to their rural folks who give liberally. I also concluded that the effects of funeral rituals it appears cannot be generated without the aid of women serving as agents, and alcohol to help aid loosing of consciousness so as to facilitate mourning and food to strengthen family and societal bonds. The research was carried out by the adaption of a Ritual Studies approach has focused its lenses on the Encounters between Christianity and ATR in Fante Funeral Practices. In doing so, I have stressed on both the positive and negative aspects of the encounters.