LACK OF REAL COMMUNICATION AS SOURCE OF CONFLICT BETWEEN EWE TWINS'RITES OF TOGO AND CHRISTIANITY

Abstract

here is an Ewe proverb saying: "Agobaya mefoanu dzro o, dzogbeyae doa nufo na ago" meaning that the fan-palm or `borassus flabellifer' does not make noise alone in the desert, if not because of the disturbance of the wind. In other words, there is no effect without cause. The encounter of the gospel with the tradition is never a simple fact: it often brings conflict. This is the case of Christianity and the Ewe twin's rites in Togo. Since the introduction of the gospel by the missionaries in Togo, there was a kind of division in twins' families due to the refusal of the tradition (rituals) vis-a-vis Christianity. Some researches relate that there was no proper dialogue between the first Missionaries and the participants of twins' rites converted into the Church. This lack of dialogue or communication became source of conflicts between African tradition and Christianity.