There's the assertion that pollution has driven away or destroyed river and sea deities
In Ghanaian culture, it is believed that most water bodies have a spiritual side to them.
However, with many rivers, lagoons, and especially beaches increasingly polluted with filth, questions have been raised about whether the deities believed to inhabit them still exist.
His Eminence Nuumo Tsawe Otrome II, Tsawe Wulormor of Kpone, has dismissed assertions that pollution has driven away or destroyed river and sea deities, insisting that they remain present despite the environmental degradation.
Speaking on Joy FM's Showbiz A-Z, the Wulormor explained that, according to Ghanaian cosmology, a deity does not abandon its place of abode because of human actions.
"One thing we are supposed to understand is that from the cosmology of our traditional people, wherever a deity comes to stay becomes its existing point and it stays there for a lifetime. It doesn't die," he said.
He described the sea as one of the greatest deities in Ghana's traditional belief system, explaining that several other deities are spiritually connected to it.
According to him, while the sea is naturally meant to cleanse spiritual impurity, it was never created to absorb physical waste such as plastics, rubber and other forms of pollution.
"The sea was created to wipe away spiritual dirt, not the physical waste that people dump into it. When you throw those things into the sea, it brings them back because that is not its purpose," he stated.
Nuumo Tsawe Otrome II argued that the increasing pollution of beaches and water bodies is largely the result of cultural negligence and a growing disregard for traditional values.
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He said many people dismiss indigenous beliefs by arguing that society has advanced beyond them, but stressed that humanity and nature are inseparable.
"Man is nature and nature is man. Nature depends on man and man depends on nature," he said, adding that sacred lands, forests and groves that were once protected by communities have gradually been encroached upon and desecrated.
He further rejected the perception that traditional deities exist only to punish people, arguing instead that they are patient and tolerant.
However, he cautioned that persistent disrespect for nature and sacred spaces could eventually bring consequences, including devastating floods, which he believes serve as reminders that the deities remain present despite widespread pollution.
“But looking at where we are now and what we have become, everyone thinks our deities are gone and that the laws are now in our hands because we have the money to buy these things. The deities will simply be somewhere relaxing and watching because they know a time is coming. When that time comes, you begin to understand,” he added.
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