The Power of Sound: Cross-World Sonic Theologies Open Access
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Published:May 2025
Chapter 3 presents and analyzes the acoustic worlds of the Ga religious community and Pentecostal/Charismatic Christians in Accra. Drawing on ethnographic material and secondary sources, it discusses the practices and theologies associated with sound and its absence in those two traditions. Particular attention is given to the role of quiet in Ga ritual practice and the positive valuation of noise making in Pentecostal/Charismatic worship. The chapter suggests that, despite the sonic transgressions of Christians, the apprehension of sound in the two communities is in fact comparable. The sonic religious practices of both groups also signal attempts to sacralize space and to enter into a relationship with nonhuman actors. In both cases, sound can be an agent of spiritual contamination or elevation, a force for communal well-being or distress.