In Ghana, this New Year period is conducive to prophecies of doom. Prophets who announce imminent disasters. In his December 31 sermon, Pastor Isaac Owusu-Bempah again predicted chaos. Sermons “ likely to threaten public order “. Despite warnings from the authorities, the prophecies of doom continue.
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“ Without divine intervention, the presidential vote could degenerate into a bloodbath “, predicted Pastor Isaac Owusu-Bempah on Sunday. On December 27, Ghanaian police asked pastors to avoid making such comments. The Criminal Offenses Act of 1960 prohibits the communication of apocalyptic prophecies, “ likely to sow fear and panic “.
But every year, these influential pastors do it again. For Kobi Annan, political analyst, this shows the difficulty of the authorities in enforcing this law. “ Short of putting police in churches – a difficult task as there are thousands of them in Ghana – or arresting people and sensitizing them, there is no practical way of enforcing the law, estimates the researcher at the microphone of Christina Okellofrom the Africa department. Encroaching on religious freedom is very delicate. To try to do it would be possible. But here again, politicians, in an election year, would not take the risk of arresting a well-known pastor in a country that is very religious.. »
In 2019, Pastor Bempah, at the head of one of the most influential churches in Ghana, had already predicted the death of several political figures, without being worried. Two years later, it was Pastor Stephen Akwasi who announced the death of the famous Ghanaian singer Shatta Wale, which caused great emotion. Placed in pre-trial detention, Akwasi was released shortly after.