Abstract
Sacred spaces remain an integral feature to religious and spiritual communities across Africa which embody the presence of deities and significant for worship. There is evidence in contemporary Africa that the continued existence of such spaces are increasingly threatened by urbanization and other forms of development. By these, several places traditionally regarded as pure and sacred have been dissipated and adherents displaced. This vulnerability is a threat to religious liberty as granted in constitutional democracies. Whilst indigenous religions accept and welcome others to practice their beliefs, the ‘allowed’ are now not allowing those who allowed them to exist according to their religious and spiritual worldviews. Again, whilst traditionalists provide significant contributions to the growth of the nations, especially, regarding conservation and preservation of natural bodies and resources as well as noise management through their practice of creating serene environments such as sacred groves and keeping within the natural, they are perceived as hindrances to expansion and development. Some sacred places are destroyed making adherents vulnerable. Nonetheless, this vulnerability is becoming a wakeup call for resilience by some traditionalists, with strong avowal, to resist despite the pressure for their perennial push toward annihilation. This study concludes that the respect for and avoidance of encroaching upon such sacred places, is a means of conservation and preservation of the natural. It, therefore, postulates that both religious and spiritual diversity and preservation of the heritage of a people getting extinct through their vulnerability to the pressures of urbanization and other developments should be considered.
Presenters
Ebenezer QuayeSenior Lecturer and Head of Department, Department of Theological Studies, Valley View University, Greater Accra, Ghana
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Fragile Meanings: Vulnerability in the Study of Religions and Spirituality
KEYWORDS
Pure, Sacred, Deity, Conservation, Preservation, Noise Management, Encroachment, Annihilation, Vulnerability
