African Food and Art

Thank you to our latest donor, Tony. Thank you, Tony. We were able to purchase three new stainless steel pots to continue our cooking and teaching heritage.

Why racism is a religious health care issue

Medical Missionaries Touching Ghana with the Love of Christ?
Close-up of black devil statue commissioned by the Catholic parish in Ghana.
Archangel Michael standing on the head and genitals of the black devil.

Controversial White Archangel Michael and Black Devil Statue in Ghana. Tepa is a small town and is the capital of Ahafo Ano North, a district in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, the Catholic Church in Ghana is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome.

There are three million Catholics in Ghana, which is around 13 percent. Tepa grotto garden falls under the leadership of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga.

GhanaWeb interviewed some church members who explained why the statue should not be described as racist. An ardent member of the Church defends that color does not matter when issues of religion are being discussed as faith is colorless and emphasized that whether black or white, it should not be interpreted as racism. 

“In my opinion, it’s not a racist statue. I see this statue as a projection of an angel and the devil and that’s all I see… I don’t really care about the color because the color will not take us to heaven it’s just the faith that we have which is colorless. A believer who sees this image and is climbing the mountain to pray understands this perfectly well without thinking of racism,” he stated. 

Others believe that if the color does not matter then the Roman Catholic in Tepa Ghana should have no issue painting Michael, the white angel black and Satan the black devil as white. Still, others believe the reversal of colors will not satisfy the issue of whites believing they are superior to black Africans and religion is a tool used to continue to enslave the African mind. 

Christianity and colonialism are often closely associated because Catholicism and Protestantism were the religions of the European colonial powers. Why did enslaved Africans embrace the religion of their captors? Christianity as a tool of oppression is a question on the young minds of Africans. 

In his 1984 book Missions Heralds of Capitalism or Christ? on page 135 evangelist Jan Boer argues that for evangelicals, particularly those involved in the Sudan United Mission and colonialism evangelical ventures, social projects generally served as bait for opportunities to evangelize verbally to the native African population.

Medical Missionaries and Healthcare in Ghana
Medical Missionaries and Healthcare in Ghana

Medical Missionaries and Healthcare in Ghana.  Some believe religion and the bible was used as a tool of colonization and is being used as a medical, political and social tool in Africa. The bible continues to be used to justify the actions of the colonizers and the current population of some medical missionaries in Africa. 

Health care organizations belonging to various Christian Non-governmental groups or NGO's located in the rural areas Ghana provide for the majority of Ghana national health care needs. The umbrella organization of which the various mission hospitals, clinics, and facilities are members of is known as the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG). 

According to its website, “CHAG is a Network organization of 302 health facilities and health training institutions owned by 25 different Christian Church Denominations." The Roman Catholic Church whose garden the White Archangel Michael and Black Devil Statue stands funds and manages many clinics in rural Ghana. 

A message from the director Peter K. Yeboah states, “CHAG exists primarily to promote the development and sustainability of Church Health Services anytime, anywhere, and everywhere the need beckons. Over the years, CHAG has kept faith with the people of Ghana and beyond, providing holistic health services in line with our mandate of promoting Jesus Christ’s healing ministry… As the second-largest provider of health services in Ghana, CHAG offers a significant level of hope for all generations unborn, children, young, mothers, adult, the aged and the vulnerable groups in the society. " 

In 2003, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was created to provide financial access to quality basic health care for residents in Ghana, adopting free maternal care in 2008 and free mental health care services in 2012. 

However, urban populations and richer households are more likely to have a valid NHIS card than rural and poorer households who rely more on CHAG. In Ghana, most health care is provided by the government and is largely administered by the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Services or GHS.

Christian Health Association of Ghana or CHAG is the second largest. The GHS, the main provider, has an Institutional Care Division with a Quality Assurance Department in charge of quality assurance and patient safety. CHAG, the second-largest provider has its own quality assurance and patient safety program. 


Together we build awareness that boost harmony, education, and success, below are more links to articles you will find thought provoking.

  1. African Country Names Your Saying Wrong
  2. What do Waist Beads Symbolize in Africa?
  3. About African Healers and Witchdoctors
  4. Hurricanes are Angry African Ancestors
  5. Highest Temperature and Lowest Temperature in Africa
  6. About African Night Running


Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Week’s Best African Culture Posts

What is the difference between ugali and fufu

Image
How to make the popular African recipes Ugali and Fufu and what is the difference.  Ugali is a starch dish in Kenya and Tanzania made of fine cornmeal cooked in boiling water into a soft dough. Fufu is a thick, dough-like West African food made by boiling then pounding a starchy vegetable such as yam, plantain, or cassava or a mixture of starchy vegetables. The main difference between fufu and ugali is fufu is boiled first then pounded while ugali is simply boiled. Ugali recipe. Easy Ugali Recipe Prep time 5 minutes Cook time 30 minutes Total time 30 minutes Ingredients 4 cups finely ground cornmeal 8 cups water Directions Heat water to boiling in a saucepan. Slowly pour cornmeal into boiling water stirring continuously. Add more cornmeal if necessary until it is thick as soft bread dough. Serve immediately with vegetables, stew, or any dish you would use a spoon with to soak up the sauce, ugali is purposely bland tasting on its own. What is the difference between ugali and
Learn More About Africa

Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa

Image
African Country by Size List. Africa Which are the top twenty largest, smallest, and territorial country in Africa by land area? 1. The continent of Africa is the world’s second largest based on land area and population just after Asia. 2. Top five largest countries of Africa are Algeria, Congo Democratic Republic of the, Sudan, Libya and Chad. 3. Top five smallest African countries and territories are Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Saint Helena and Mayotte. African Country from largest to smallest Area sq mile Area sq km Algeria 919,595 2,381,740 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 905,568 2,345,410 Sudan 718,723 1,861,484 Libya 679,362 1,759,540 Chad 495,755 1,284,000 Niger 489,191 1,267,000 Angola 481,354 1,246,700 Mali 478,767 1,240,000 South Africa 471,011 1,219,912 Ethiopia 435,186 1,127,127 Mauritania 397,95
Learn More About Africa

Ethiopian Midwest American Hotdish

Image
Our Ethiopian hot dish combines Ethiopian cooking with classic Minnesota Midwest casserole meal. The hot dish’s origins are a product of settlers traditions in Midwest America dating back to the early 20th century. A hot-dish or casserole is a one-pan meal that traditionally includes a combination of starch like potatoes, pasta, or rice, ground meat, vegetables, and a creamy canned soup base, all topped with crunchy goodness like breadcrumbs or tater tots. The concept of hot dish became popular in the Upper Midwest, particularly in states like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, in the 1930s and 1940s. This period was marked by economic challenges, including the Great Depression. The need for economical and filling meals led to the creation of dishes that could be stretched to feed many people using simple, affordable ingredients . Hot dishes became synonymous with potlucks, church suppers, and social gatherings. These events were central to rural and small-town communities, where
Learn More About Africa

Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off

Image
Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off. Idzila are Ndebele wives traditionally wear rings around the neck as a status symbol and wear rings around the arms, legs, and neck. Wearing Neck Rings. For centuries, married South African Ndebele tribes’ women saw wearing heavy rings around their neck as an honored status symbol. Neck rings are any form of stiff necklaces worn around the neck of an individual. The neck rings are usually made of copper or brass. During initiation, girls wear an array of colorfully beaded hoops called izigolwan around their legs, arms, waist, and neck. After marriage, the Ndebele wife would wear copper and brass rings around her arms, legs, and neck, symbolizing her bond and faithfulness to her husband, once her home was built. Idzila rings were believed to have strong ritual powers. Husbands used to provide their wives with rings; the richer the husband, the more rings the wife would wear. These outward symbols can be removed only in ca
Learn More About Africa