The Development and Practice of Religion in an Accra Suburb

Abstract

organisations, individuals and community, tracing the development of a large number of religious groups over a 30 year period in Madina, a suburb of the Ghanaian capital. As the community has grown, the original Muslims and Ghana Council of Churches members have been joined by many international and local churches. Madina now has about 45,000 people in an area of about 5 km2. It houses members of about 80 religious groups, of which at least twelve meet outside Madina; a few others have small cells which are in the process of developing into local churches. Many new churches have been founded in Madina itself. This study uses interviews with religious leaders, a sample census and individual interviews to trace the expansion of religious groups since Madina was founded, to examine current membership and to compare members of different types of groups on commitment, participation, social networks and sources of satisfaction with their religious affiliation. Ghanaians divide Christian churches into orthodox and spiritual (Wyllie, R.W. 1985), and this distinction will be used here, though some groups do not fit neatly into one or the other category. The 'orthodox' churches were brought by missionaries from Europe or America, mainly Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Methodists and Presbyterians. A small number of Christian Scientists, Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists are in the 'orthodox'