Christianisation of Africa and its effects on local environmental management: the case of Ghana

Of all the experiences that Africa has gone through, the one that has largely impacted on her life, especially her culture is the Christianisation of the continent which was the direct result of colonialism. This paper investigates indigenous Ghanaians life ways encounter with colonialism and its key appendage, Christianity and the impact of the encounter on the people especially, on their ecological knowledge and practices. Before the advent of Christianity in Ghana in 1482, ecological practices were hugely helped by the indigenous religion, where entities such as rivers, certain species of trees and animals were ascribed with sacred and reverential status were left pristine. The Christian missionaries and their African Christians converts viewed these beliefs and practices as idol worship. This paved the way for the Christian converts to disregard the indigenous ecological laws. The disregard thus saw the beginning of the steady environmental degradation in the country, which has reached unprecedented levels today. Consequently, there is the need for respect for indigenous ecological practices particularly those that can assist in the management of current ecological crisis. This paper calls for a holistic approach to addressing the current environmental problems confronting Ghanaians in particular, and Africans in general today