Features
OF SCIENCE AND ‘AFRICAN ELECTRONICS’
Chemistry is one of the most rewarding sciences in the world, in the sense that it can yield visible and sometimes spectacular results from simple experiments.
For instance, when the colour blue changes to red or green after a chemical has been added to it, or when en explosion occurs under water after certain chemical agents have been brought together one is I pressed, whether one believes in science or not.
That being the case, how can a teacher of chemistry refuse to believe that vaccination works in humans and other animals? Is the concept of immunity from disease a hoax?
I ask because the late President of Tanzania, Mr John Magufuli, not only denied the existence of Covid-19 but at the same time (rather illogically) he prescribed the breathing of steam as well as other “traditional” methods, for curing the (non-existent) disease!
But – wonder of wonders – Magufuli, according to Wikipedia, “earned a bachelor of science in education degree, majoring in chemistry and mathematics as teaching subjects, from the University of Dar-es-Salaam in 1988. He also earned his masters, and doctorate degrees in chemistry from the University of Dar-es-Salaam in 1994 and 2009, respectively.”
After graduating, he became a secondary school teacher. The question is: was he tutoring his students in subjects he did not believe in? Or did he think tat there was a “dichotomy” of reality in the world – one which produced accurate results in scientific experiments and another reality in which the only laws that operated were those laid down by the God in whom he fervently believed as a Catholic?
For he was quoted as saying that Covid-19 was “a devil, [which] cannot survive in the body of Christ… It will burn instantly!” Was he, in saying this, denying the validity of the concept of science, mastery of which had earned him his degrees?
The contradictions that filled Mr Magufuli’s mind are, of course, vibrantly present in many other Africans. I became aware of this very early in my own life.
My mother’s sister was a life-long Methodist. She would come and wake us all up very early in the morning and drag us to “morning service” (anᴐpasɔre)!
Now, I loved the Fanti songs that the Methodists sang, with all those beautiful unwritten improvisations that the women singers invented to add to the actual hymns. But I resented being torn from my dreams at such an early hour! I had no choice, of course, but to tag along.
One year, however (when I was about five) my young mind was thrown into a whirl when I heard, to my astonishment, that despite her obvious devotion to God and Jesus, this aunt of mine had travelled all the way from Asiakwa to Nkwantanang (in the Kwahu District: first, by truck to Bosuso; next, by train to Nkawkaw; then up the dangerous hills to Mpraeso and finally, to Nkwantanang) to go and “eat kola-nuts” and become a cult member of the Tigare fetish!
She went to the fetish because she wanted to have a child and her prayers in the Methodist Church were apparently not producing the goods – despite all those early morning devotions.
I learnt in later life that many so-called Christians in fact try to “insure” themselves against evil times by also paying their respects to several deities passed to them by their elderly family members, who believed in several deities at the same time.
There was, for instance, an old woman who was the priestess of a sacred River in our town called Twafoɔ. This old lady got presented with a lot of fowls from people who wanted to thank the River for all sorts of favours they had obtained from it.
Indeed, when the Second World War ended in 1945 and the men from our town who had gone to fight in Burma came back, one of them brought an amazing story about the River. He told our townspeople that the army truck he was driving had one day been hit by a bomb and blown into a deep valley. It caught fire after he’d been thrown out of it. He lay in a field unconscious.
But as the fire came nearer and nearer to him, he heard faintly, “from very far away”, a bush-cat calling him by name: “Kwaku Petro! Kwaku Petro! Get up!”
The cat wouldn’t stop calling his name until its cries got nearer and nearer to him. Finally, the cat’s cries became so loud that he woke up. He was able to drag himself away just as the whole truck blew up with a huge bang!
The noise brought some ambulance men to the site, and they laid him on a stretcher and carried him to hospital. “See these scars on my hands!” he showed the townspeople.
“It was River Twafoɔ who came and saved my life!” Kwaku Petro explained. He bought a sheep and slaughtered it, draining the sheep’s blood into the River’s water until the water was drenched red. He also poured libation into the water with a bottle of Schnapps.
How did he know it was the River that had saved his life? Silly question. How often do bush-cats talk and call someone by the name?
But by far the most amusing story in this country about juju – or “African electronics” as some smart-alec friends of mine call it – occurred during the days of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) in the early 1970s. A chap was caught and put on trial for attempting to overthrow the government of the SMC by recruiting the Army Commander of the regime to carry out a coup.
The chap apparently resided in Nigeria, where he had made a lot of money by dealing in crude oil. When he had convinced himself that indeed the Army Commander would like to succeed his head of state as “Number One”, he brought the Army Commander a huge sum of money and said the Commander should take it to a particular jujuman in Northern Ghana, so that the jujuman would “fortify him” and make him impervious to fear., during the coup operation.
But the coup-inciter had somehow not been able to fortify his own self, and so, was picked up on the instructions of the Army Commander during their final tête-à-tête!
At his trial, the then Attorney-General, a very humorous lawyer called E N Moore, made great play upon the superstitious elements in the coup plot. People laughed a lot when they were asked by their friends, upon undertaking some mission or other, “Have you taken the trouble to get fortified yet”?
In the midst of the trial, I attended a cocktail party given by the Government at the Castle, Osu. Whilst going round greeting people, I came across Mr E N Moore.
“Cameron, how have you been?” he queried.
Quick as a flash, I replied: “Unfortified, but still going strong!”
Mr Moore exploded into such loud laughter that people everywhere turned round to look at the two of us. I very swiftly slipped out of his company, leaving him to explain why he had laughed so loudly.
BY CAMERON DUODU
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
