Ab-ra-ca-da-bra; ai-r; ari-gi-di-gi-di aika air; wa-ika; aisha ira; wai kanoo; oba ba-ba-mu; la ini; ab maraka mu maka; Je m’appelle … (why the French in an incantation in Greek, Latin, Yoruba…).
The Great Lion’s babble,
Rabble, abracadabra, gibberish or tongues
Call us iconoclasts; we may be maverick, eccentric, deviant, non-conformist! Too many prophesies: and one of the most ridiculous, risible, moronic, preposterous – simply stupid – prophesies came to light last weekend. This time, a fresh face who calls himself Prophet Razak who says he is a prophet of Jesus Kingdom Prayer Ministry was on the air at the funeral of the eight victims of the helicopter crash: “I don’t see that they are dead … they will come back to life … the cause of their death is the disobedience of one man in NDC … Nana Agyemang Rawlings has been wronged and the spirit of JJ Rawlings is crying … Until they (NDC) go back to Nana Agyemang Rawlings, more calamities … You know the party was formed with the blood of J.J. who pierced his thumb with a needle, and used the blood that oozed therefrom to thumbprint the (NDC) Constitution …”
Are there only Christians in Ghana? Why don’t we hear the Moslems, traditional indigenous religions, Buddists, Judaists, Hindus, Shintoists, Eckankar, Rastafaians, making prophecies?
Although a little less poignant we get our blood pressure up hearing a prophet in Prophet Owusu-Bempah’s temple: “If Agradaa goes to Owusu-Bempah to beg, she would be released …” So, Owusu-Bempah holds the key to the prison where Agradaa is incarcerated? Or does Owusu-Bempah control the court which jailed Agradaa following thorough criminal procedure?
Interestingly, a lady prophesies that he saw Owusu-Bempah dead in a coffin, and she charges that Owusu-Bempah has dug his own grave. Owusu-Bempah immediately retorts: “I am not afraid to die … if I am going to die, it is not someone who will prophesy about me … The lady is a devil, a witch … I don’t remember when I got sick this year … who has bribed this lady?
“Like Macbeth contemplating regicide (Duncan), the lady is reminding Owusu-Bempah of the “poisoned chalice”: “This even-handed justice commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice to our own lips”.
In our traditional past, whenever we had a dream of “death”, our elders would tell us that was a good omen. But what is happening in Ghana now? Gloom – doom; desperation-despair-despondence; The last helicopter crash has brought a lot of things up.
For us, our faith in God is firm. Catholic Catechism asks in No. 19: Q: Can we understand all the truths of Faith? Ans: No, we cannot understand all the truths of Faith, because some of them are Mysteries Q20: What are Mysteries? Ans: Mysteries are truths beyond reason, which we cannot completely understand, but we believe them to be.
Fine, so we want those who have a good knowledge of the Bible to concentrate on teaching us the Bible: Genesis 20: 2; “Abraham (Abram) said of Sarah: she is my sister. So Abimelech King of Gerar had Sarah brought to him” (what would have happened to Abraham if he had told the truth that Sarah was his wife?). Exodus 2: 12 “After looking this way and that and seeing no man around (Moses) slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.”
Samuel 11: 2 -5 And David sent messengers to get the woman who was bathing; … the man said: ‘She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah, the Hittite … and he slept with her … the woman conceived and sent word to David, saying’ I am pregnant’ …”.
Former IGP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare said in 2023; “As a son of God … I am not against prophecies … We are talking about the communication of such prophecies that will end up creating fear and panic in our society … when God speaks to you carry the message in a manner that will not affect the sanity of the country’ if you receive prophetic message that I’m about to die, which of course, I’m not afraid because death is inevitable. Once I’ve been born I’ll die one day … We don’t know the language God speaks and who interprets for him … God should give you guidance as to how it should be communicated in order not to negatively affect lives …
In 2024, Dr. Dampare placed a ban on prophecies. “And with this strong warning, not a single prophet was heard predicting a win for any political party, because Dampare was ready to apply the law … who born dog? And Nigel Gaisie claims to have gone to the late John Kumah’s house three times without getting anybody to pass information of John’s imminent death … Oh-ho!
Now, an office dubbed Inter Faith and Ecumenical Relations has been established in the Presidency and this office informs all Prophets, Men and Women of God under your oversight that any prophecy or spiritual insight of a national nature, especially those with implications for high-profile political leaders, governance, national security or public stability should be formally relayed to the office of the Presidential Envoy for urgent review and appropriate escalation”.
Why would not there be a rush to go to the “Envoy” for this mission? Our expectation is “great”. Men and women will storm this office with “prophecies” and many fake prophets will emerge. It is this that haunts Prophet Attah-Gyebi.
Afriyie Ankrah, the “Envoy”, office has been inundated with over two hundred submissions. And he says 70% – 80% lack substance. Is it the prophecy itself or the way it was communicated? If you find us doubtful about these unnecessarily fake prophecies, it is because when we were about 14 and suffered from peptic ulcer, a 21-year-old gentleman who had “seen” God prophesied to us: “Some devils are using a broom to brush your stomach, so, don’t eat this, don’t eat that; the man (prophet) died in his thirties; we got medical treatment, and we are now septuagenarian.
Rev. Otabil says 95% African prophets are fake and quacks. Without research, without examination, but resort to the Scriptures; Jeremiah, Isaiah … time, there were more fake prophets than genuine ones.
Or take Rwanda where the government had implemented regulations and inspections that had led to the closure of 4,233 churches since 2024 with 427 of these in caves for failing standards of health and safety: there was a crackdown of unsafe and noisy churches; theological training for preachers before opening a church … all churches must have soundproofing devices – don’t disturb the neighbours …
In Ghana, Article 21 of the 1992 Constitution states “(1) (c) All persons shall have the right to freedom to practice any religion and to manifest such practice …” Who says “freedom” is absolute, without any corresponding obligation? Whom are we trying to please?
In 1953, Dr. Raphael Ernest Grail Armattoe wrote the poem: “Deep down in the Blackman’s Mind” (published in 1954 after his death). What do you expect to read? Only the wealthy politician and the rich businessman is targeted? When shall we tell the prophets: “Go ‘way you: we’ll not listen to such trash?”
We are all prophets: this is my prophecy: ‘I had a dream last night: “It was a race I saw a big elephant, wobbling-suffering from a broken femur in the quadriceps region, there was an umbrella flying in the air – a whirl wind – and fair-coloured butterfly floating and clapping its wings … Then I woke up:
