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Catholicism and Problem-solving in Dagbon

The Dagomba people of northern Ghana should not be Christian at all. Although there has been a Catholic presence for the last 50 years in Dagbon, the people have never felt the need for Christianity. But some of their number are now forming village-level Christian communities. Taking the stance that religion in Africa is about problem-solving, especially when it involves the unseen world, the authors surveyed 315 villagers, Catholics and non-Catholics, asking about their most important problems and if Christianity responded to them. The problems involve beliefs and practices concerning fate, dreams, witchcraft, “bad death”, divination and the ancestors—things not usually the concern of Christian rituals. It was found that while Christians continue to have the same problems as their neighbors, they are not helped to solve them in a Christian way. But the Dagomba Christian communities are gradually drawing the attention of the Catholic Church to their needs and more creative and responsive rituals are appearing.