Features
Ghana: Audacity of homosexuals
Homosexual conduct is criminalised by Ghana’s criminal laws.
Section 104 (1) (b) of Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) abhors consensual same-sex intercourse and prohibits it.
So, it is very clear that consensual same-sex relations is a criminal offence within the meaning of Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act.
The Sexual Offences Act also makes illegal, other sexual acts performed by heterosexuals, thus, suggesting that it is a criminal offence, punishable by the laws of Ghana, for a male to penetrate the anus (sodomy) or mouth of a female or a male with his penis.
Indeed, the only mode of sexual intercourse which does not offend Ghanaian law, is sexual intercourse through the vagina by penile penetration.
What then is homosexuality? It is a romantic attraction or sexual behaviour between members of same-sex or gender.
What is lesbianism too? It is also called sapphism or female homosexuality. It is the tendency of a human female to be emotionally and usually, sexually attracted to other females.
What is gay? Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. It also refers to the community, practices and cultures associated with homosexuality.
Is it natural as to be same-sex attracted? According to the Australian Psychological Society, being same-sex attracted is a natural as being opposite-sex attracted, and that it is not possible to force someone to change their sexuality through any psychological or medical means.
Who is a bisexual? It is romantic or sexual attraction towards both males and females or to more than one sex or gender.
And who is a heterosexual? A person sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex
Across cultures, most people are heterosexuals, with a minority of people having homosexual or bisexual orientation.
According to proponents of gayism, however, some people have difficulty accepting others who are different, whether it is because of their race, sex, sexuality or religion.
They claim that if you are being harassed, judged or made to feel bad about yourself by someone else because of your sexuality, remember that there is nothing wrong with you; and that the problem is the other person’s ignorance and intolerance.
The Humanist Association of Ghana says,” tonnes of research data and anthropological work inform that semi-sex behaviour existed in pre-colonial and pre-Islamic sub-Saharan Africa.
Painfully, we are now witnessing the intrusion of rotten and stinking European and American culture of homosexuality across the African continent.
The Humanist Association of Ghana contends that, “the wave of homophobia currently sweeping our country and large parts of the African continent is the result of works of bigoted homophobic Judeao-Christian missionaries.”
Others, however, vehemently disagree, insisting that “homosexuality today has become a cult; a club and a foundation.”
And some people are promoting and pumping billions of dollars into homosexuality, so that such unusual and abnormal behaviour, should be accepted by force by the world.
This is the strength of the danger and for which matter we must stand up against it as a nation.
It is instructive to recall that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Rights Ghana, (LGBTQI) as they call themselves, opened their office in Accra on January 31, 2021, with the express intent to spread its tentacles in the country.
The European Union in Ghana has openly thrown its full weight behind the LGBTQI+ promoters in the country, claiming that equality, tolerance and respect for one another are core values of the European Union.
Strong opposition against the emerging LGBTQI+ community in the country is gaining tap-roots. They include the clergy, traditional rulers and teacher unions. They strongly argue that homosexuality is not a rights issue.
They are, therefore, urging the state to disallow the LGBTQI+ community from operating in the country.
The National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, must be commended for its relentless battle against the planting of LGBTQI+ seeds on the fertile soil of Ghana.
The coalition advocates against the activities of LGBTQI+ movement in Ghana. It has called for the office to be closed.
Mr Moses Foh-Amoaning, Executive Secretary of the coalition says; “the existence of a LGBTQI+ office in Accra is illegal and an affront to the laws , traditions and customs of Ghana.”
Foh-Amoaning says, “Ghana has not signed any international law permitting the promotion of LGBTQI+ activities in the country,” stressing that “any attempt by anyone to promote the activities of the group amounts to illegality.”
Foh-Amoaning has chastised the international community in Ghana, “for promoting an act which is alien to the customs and traditions of Ghanaians and which infringes on the sovereignty of our state.”
“The actions of the LGBTQI+ movement is completely at variance with the laws of God as contained in the Holy Bible, concerning God’s plan of creation and the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman and as ordained by God,” Rev. Professor Paul Frimpong Manso, President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, has said in a press statement he signed and issued in Accra on February 22, 2021.
As a nation, if we succumb to European and American homosexual pressures; if we compromise our consciences; if we mortgage our traditions; then history and posterity will deal bitterly with the current crop of our leaders.
Wherever we find ourselves as leaders in our society we must search our consciences clearly over the raging issue of homosexuality.
For, if we condone the emerging fire of homosexuality and betray the sacred trust reposed in us by our people, we will have done more harm to Ghana than the European imperialists, colonialists and missionaries did to the Gold Coast.
If we debase our nation’s integrity and traditions and barter them away; we will have become worse than the worst of the misguided chauvinistic imperialists.
Refreshingly, however, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, repeatedly says, “the activities of the LGBTQI+ in the country will never be legalised” under his presidency.
By G Frank Asmah
Today, I focus on the Apostolic Church International in Finland, as I continue with my description of institutions and personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The Apostolic Church International, Finland (or, Apostolic International Association Ry) was established in October 9, 2023. The Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments within the short time that it has been established in Finland, which must be highlighted.
History of the Church in Ghana
The Apostolic Church Ghana originated from the 1904–1905 Welsh revival, officially established in Ghana (then called Gold Coast) in 1935 following connections between a local prayer group in Asamankese (a town in southern Ghana), led by Peter Newman Anim, and the Apostolic Church, UK. There were historical splits in 1939 and 1953, but the Apostolic Church attained autonomy in 1985.
Today, the Church is headquartered in Accra. Last year (2025), it dedicated its new 10-storey headquarters, “The Apostolic Church Tower,” in Frafraha, Adenta West in Accra.
Activities of the Apostolic Church in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland conducts church service on Sundays. The service starts at 11a.m. in the morning and closes by 1 p.m. in the afternoon. There are no other activities during other days for now.
The Minister in charge of the church in Finland is also the Area Head of Italy Area. He is Pastor Daniel Kofi Addison who is the new Italy Area Head, and has just been transferred from UK South Area to Italy Area during the just-ended Council Meeting in March this year. Italy Area comprises Italy, which has 13 Assemblies, Germany, one Assembly, and Finland, one Assembly.
Elder Ebenezer Amoaning-Coffie is the Presiding Elder in charge of the Assembly in Finland. A Presiding Elder is responsible for day to day activities of the church (Assembly) and reports to the District Pastor, or in the absence of the District Pastor, reports to the Area Head.
Achievements
The Apostolic Church International, Finland was officially registered under the Finnish Law, guaranteeing freedom of worship and providing legal foundation for future growth. The church service is conducted in both English and Twi.
The church opens its doors to all people of every nation, especially Ghanaians who are in Finland and other African nationals. Now, the membership comprises Ghanaians, Nigerians and Sierra Leoneans.
The Church and the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the Apostolic Church is a religious body for Ghanaian migrants in Finland and other nationalities who want to worship with them for diversity and better intercultural and multicultural understanding.
Elder Amoaning-Coffie said that the main and primary aim of the church is to bring people closer to God. “We aim to win souls for Christ. We aim to preach the gospel to the world. By propagating the gospel to the people, we are hopeful that they will turn away from any ungodly ways and be good individuals in the community and in society in general”, he stated.
He said that everything is going well so far. A key challenge, however, is how to get more members especially the youth. As a new Assembly, we are in need of instrumentalists, for example. We pray to God Almighty to help us do His work, the Elder disclosed.
Integration
By its activities, the Apostolic Church is helping to ensure integration of its members well into the Finish society. This is important since social interaction and citizens’ well-being are an important part of the integration process in Finland.
As I mentioned some time ago, the role of migrant associations and groups such as the Apostolic Church acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
The landscape of the Ghanaian palate is shifting, and not necessarily for the better. In our bustling urban centres, from the streets of Accra to the suburbs of Kumasi, a quiet culinary revolution is taking place; one where the mortar and pestle are being replaced by the pizza oven and the deep fryer. This transition from traditional staple foods like fufu, banku, akple, kenkey, tuo zaafi, and ampesi toward “continental” dishes is more than just a change in appetite; it is a reflection of a deeper social struggle with identity and prestige.
The illusion of modernity
For many, “stepping out” for a meal has become synonymous with consuming foreign cuisine. There is an unspoken social hierarchy where a bowl of Abunuabunu is relegated to the village category, while burgers, pizzas are branded as prestigious choices. We have reached a stage where we equate foreign with modern and local with primitive.
This perception is a dangerous illusion. Our traditional dishes are marvels of culinary engineering complex, nutrient-dense, and deeply rooted in our history. When we choose a processed foreign import over a meal made from local tubers or fermented maize, we are not just changing our lunch; we are eroding the indigenous knowledge attached to our local ingredients and foods.
We need to turn the consumption of indigenous grains and tubers like millet, sorghum, and plantain into a statement of self-worth and national pride.
The cultural and health erosion
Every time a local dish disappears from a restaurant menu to make room for foreign fast food, we lose a piece of our cultural fabric. Traditional Ghanaian cooking is an art that requires patience and skill. By choosing the convenience of foreign fast food, we are raising a generation that may know the taste of a pepperoni pizza but cannot identify the rich, earthy profile of Prekese or the subtle tang of well-fermented dough dishes like corn porridge, banku, etew, abolo, agidi or kamfa, and kenkey.
Furthermore, we are at the crossroads of a nutrition transition. Replacing high-fiber, indigenous crops with calorie-dense but nutrient-poor foreign fast foods is driving a rise in lifestyle diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and liver disease. We are trading our longevity for 15-minutes convenience or unhealthy diet.
A call for culinary patriotism
It is time for us to appreciate, preserve, and promote our indigenous foods and culinary traditions. We need to be proud of our local dishes, ingredients and cooking methods, rather than relying heavily on foreign or imported foods. We must stop viewing our local delicacies as low-class and start treating our culinary heritage as the high-end gastronomy it truly is.
True sophistication does not come from imitating Western fast food; it comes from innovation and adding values to our own resources. We see glimpses of this potential in the rise of branded Sobolo and the creative use of gluten-free plantain flour in modern baking of flour-based dishes such as bread, cakes, biscuits and others. This is the path forward. We must elevate our local dishes, making them as accessible, affordable, presentable and trendy as any foreign alternative.
To the hospitality industry: Innovate or stagnate
Our hotels and high-end restaurants must lead the charge. They must stop relegating local dishes to the “traditional corner” of the buffet, and apply the same culinary finesse given to imported dishes to our Fante Fante, apapransa, aborbi tadi, fetritoto, akple, abolo, yakayeke, fufu, ampesi, kokonte, wasawasa, tubani, apapransa, mpotompoto, kelewele, aliha, brukutu, pito, and other local dishes. The industry must enhance customer experiences making eating local dishes the ultimate luxury experience for both tourists and residents alike. We must elevate the presentation of our foods by using modern plating techniques to show that a bowl of light soup can be as visually stunning as a French consommé. We need to reclaim our Ghanaian plate before it is too late.
To the policy makers: Let us encourage buying of local ingredients to promote the local food industry and economy. There should be educational programmes and talks about the nutritional and cultural benefits of local foods so that people understand their value.
We need to encourage serving traditional dishes at school programmes, parties, and celebrations instead of only fast foods,
To the Youth: Let us value and appreciate our traditional dishes instead of always choosing foreign foods. There must be balance in our choice of local and foreign dishes. Confidence in our culture encourages others to respect it too. Our local dishes can also be promoted by sharing pictures, recipes, and videos on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp to make them attractive and trendy.
Young citizens must learn from their parents and elders how to prepare local meals to keep the knowledge and cultural relevance alive. Local dishes can be modernised to appeal to younger generations and tourists.
Conclusion
We cannot afford to trade our heritage for foreign cuisines which are gaining grounds across the country at an alarming rate. We must disabuse our minds of the perception that anything foreign or imported is better than those locally made. Our health, economy, and identity are tied to the soil. It is time to stop apologising for our local flavours and start celebrating them. It is possible to embrace modernity without losing ourselves and our cultural identity. Let us make the Ghanaian kitchen the heart of our modern identity once again.
By: Marilyn Gadogbe
