Singing and Sensing the Unknown: An Embodied History of Hindu Practice in Ghana

Hinduism fits well into the “sound-filled” West African religious soundscape, which is a scene of competition and conflict. This article explores soundscape devotional singing, mantras, prayers as central part embodiment embedment among Africans in Ghana, where Indian diaspora has been relatively small indigenous movement entirely through initiative. Using ethnographic written sources to examine Hindu Monastery Africa, founded by Ghanaian monk Swami Ghanananda 1975, I how oral aural popular devotions crafted swami have shifted attention away from worship idols toward sensory exploration unmanifest form divine. Such practices made irrelevant issues translatability conversion found other religions. The Monastery’s sound-production communal calling—without respect language or school teaching—has created unexpected new directions public piety, including celebration Ghana annual Sabarimala pilgrimage sexually ambiguous deity that India protest over gender caste discrimination. transformed sanctuary for singers seekers all religions, many migrants gurus, an woman swami, giving life following death 2016.