Over the years, the month long ban on drumming and dancing which the Ga Traditional Council imposes in Accra every year as a purification period prior to celebrating its Homowo festival, has seen scores of Christians beaten, hundreds maimed and church properties amounting to millions of cedis stolen or destroyed.
Ga youth groups intentionally go on rampages to established churches and accuse them of using microphones, playing musical instruments and dancing. They attack church members with clubs, machetes and guns; steal their offertory and musical instruments under the guise of ensuring adherence to the traditional rule and abscond. Most of the confiscated properties end up sold on the market to unsuspecting people.
The Ghana Police Service has systematically turned blind eyes to the heinous crimes perpetrated by these hoodlums against Christians and churches on yearly basis during this period.
It appears as though, the laws of the state do not capture forcibly entering religious premises and attacking its members and stealing their properties as crimes. Those who are arrested by church members and taken to police stations end up released by the police within minutes.
What is surprising is that the same Ga youth have consistently failed to storm mosques and demand the compliance of Muslim worshippers to the traditional laws. During the same period Ga youth elect to assault, maim and steal from Christians and churches, calls to prayers blast from towered twin speakers from mosques throughout the watches of the day across the city, but Ga youth refuse to attack mosques and Muslims.
So it appears the Ga Traditional authority inspired attacks during this period are borne out of hatred for Christianity and the desire to attack Christians, steal and destroy properties of churches. One member of the Ga youth, who went on an attack spree over the years but who claims to have repented told afropolitanonline.com on grounds of anonymity that the Ga youth groups are encouraged to attack Christians, steal from them, and destroy church properties.
An ardent search in the historical archives of Ghana revealed that the Ga Traditional Authority has never on any day condemned youth groups who attack Christians and steal from churches during the period in question.
Jeffery Jones.
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