Books by Peter Adotey Addo

How the Spider Became Bald: Folktales and Legends from West Africa  /  Talking Drums An Anthology of Poetry

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P E  Adotey Addo  was announced as a promising poet  and  a story teller  in a 1957 symposium of  Ghanaian writing called  Voices of Ghana. He  has traveled  and experienced much  since his poem  about the founding father of  Pan Africanism was published in that publication. Most of his career had been  as  a  College teacher of Religion  and Science . He is  a poet, a storyteller and writer, a folklorist, a theologian, and a biologist.  more bio

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Then there is this problem: recently I helped some 50 black American students to prepare for a summer visit to Africa. On their return I was shocked to find that most of them were much more fascinated with what they called "primitive Africa" than with the big cities and towns, the industrial part of Africa. this is understandable, but the African does not really want American blacks to return home full of ideas and impressions of "primitive people" running around naked in the rude villages. Not all Africans live in villages and not all Africans walk around naked or barefoot. What I am saying is that the black American who goes to Africa tends to find there the things and places that affirm his own subconscious negative impression of Africa. perhaps this is due to brainwashing.

The African is a well mannered person, and there are certain things he will not do in public. Let us name just one thing that created a problem for a group of visiting students. The Africans were shocked to see them holding hands and even kissing in public may be all right in the United States, but it is wholly unacceptable in Africa, especially if students do it. The African student tends to be a little more secretive about displaying his affections. Education is a great privilege in Africa, and it is taken seriously.

I could cite many more reasons why the black American is not embraced as a brother immediately. I do believe, however, that when the two get to know each other and understand the problems inherent in each culture, they will finally appreciate each other and be able to live together. How a Black African Views

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The desecration of Africa in the past by the Western European powers seriously and adversely affected the traditional cultures of the indigenous African people and in consequence many traditional beliefs, social values, customs, and rituals were demeaned or disvalued as “pagan” or “superstitious.” True culture is the what and the how of a peoples’ creative survival, and the introduction of European Christianity separated the indigenous Africans from the ancient roots of their traditions and their identity. 

Traditional African religion is centered around the existence of one Supreme High God. However, the Europeans who spread Christianity in Africa never understood or properly appreciated the African’s own conception of the Great Creator. They saw no similarity between the God they preached and the African’s own belief in the One Supreme God and creator who was king, Omnipotent, Omniscient, the Great Judge, Compassionate, Holy and Invisible, Immortal and Transcendent. Origins Of African American Spiritualism

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Table

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In Ghana, there are those who believe that when it comes to the game of football there are other forces at play other than the players, which influence the result of the games. The pundits refer to teams consulting witchdoctors who perform special spells and magic to ensure a specific outcome of the games. Magic or “Juju” is an age-old belief passed on from generation to generation and has been central, according to the pundits, to football in Ghana for a very long time.  I have heard many of these stories whether true or false from the pundits for years about football and most of them have been outrageous to say the least. The place of magic or “Juju” according to some pundits is central in Ghana football but usually is never discussed publicly and it includes special ceremonies to ensure the success of the games.

Football is so deeply entrenched in the body politic and soul of Ghana that it runs through our daily lives.  In fact, football is perhaps the only issue one can find universal agreement on among Ghanaians from all occupations. Until recently, some pundits laughed about those who played football barefooted and without uniforms or protective equipment in the past. In my boarding school, we played barefooted, but as we played, we dreamed of the time in the future when we would have the proper equipment and protective gear as we saw in the movies. It turned out to be just a dream. The scariest thing about the stories told by the pundits were subtle suggestions that the supernatural often affected the destiny of our football teams and therefore the results of the games were dependent on how strong was the “Juju” or witchcraft consulted. In our boarding school, our teachers insisted that we prayed hard to win the games. Looking at Ourselves in Africa

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updated 18 October 2007