Dr Charles Andoh defends Bishop Elvina Miller’s Racist Literature about Prampram

Dr Charles Andoh responded to an article in the Ghanaian Observer, “Bishop Spits On Ghana” on the 5th October 2007 regarding the book “Captured In Africa: A True Incredible Story” in which Bishop Elvina Miller claims to be the person to have introduced Christianity to Prampram following her visit to the town in 1954. The fact that churches existed in the town dating back to 1846 when Rev. Thomas Birch Freeman established the Methodist Church in the town, followed by the Anglican Church in 1924. Incredibly, this fact was completely ignored by the Bishop. In this book she uses words like evil, heathens, devil-worship, depicting the people she met as worse than lepers, people with no concept of civilised behaviour, vicious looking people, people whose gods include books and blankets and other demeaning and derogatory terms to describe the people of Prampram. She went on to state that in Prampram, in 1954 no one had heard the name Jesus and that no Christians or churches existed in the village. She described how two thousand enraged fetish-worshippers were ordered to stone her, presumable to death.

As I was the first person from Prampram to have challenged Bishop Miller on the issue of her book and its content, and had also brought this matter to the attention of the Ghanaian Observer newspaper, it is, therefore in this context that I write this article in response to Dr Andoh’s criticism of my challenging the Bishop in view of what she wrote about the people of Prampram. I have never met or even had a personal argument with Dr Andoh prior to his criticism of my article, therefore, I fail to understand why he has taken it upon himself to defend Bishop Miller in this fashion? Is the author of the book, Bishop Miller not capable of defending the wild assertions made in her book against those innocent people? What motivates Dr Andoh to defend Bishop Miller? What is the rational thinking behind Dr Andoh’s defence of a book and its content that is clearly deemed by many readers as indicative of racially insulting and religiously abusive of the people of Prampram and for that matter the people of Ghana as a whole? Why would Dr Andoh defend Bishop Miller when, allegedly demanding calls for an apology from the following leaders have been sent to her with no immediate response: - the Paramount Chief of Prampram, Nene Tetteh Djan III, The Mankralo, Nene Asture Banta III, Hon. E T Mensah, MP for Ningo-Prampram and not forgetting the Prampram Youth Organisation have all been ignored by the Bishop to-date. Yet she still enjoys the freedom given to her to operate and practise peacefully in Prampram as she pleases. Is Dr Andoh one of the beneficiaries of, allegedly, an all expenses paid trip by the Bishop for some Prampram citizens to visit Pennsylvania, USA to make a propaganda video fore the Bishop testifying to the Oasis of Love church members and the American people that what the she said in her book is true?

In direct response to my article about the book in the Ghana Observer, Dr Charles Andoh wrote an article in the same newspaper on the 12 October 2007. In his article he reported, “Mr Samuel Doku, seems to be a man who is hurt at seeing the traditional practices in his place of birth being denigrated”. My answer to Dr Andoh’s statement is that, yes I, like so many people have been offended by Bishop Miller’s deliberate lies about events described to have taken place in Prampram in 1954. In the book she stubbornly sets out to demean, humiliate and degrade the people of Prampram for the sole purpose of ensuring her journey to Africa is meaningful to her dear folks back home including many unsuspecting American readers, claiming to be the first person to bring Christianity to Prampram, even though there were two prominent church buildings in the town at the time of her first visit to Prampram in1954.

Dr Andoh said, “Mr Doku is contending that no animal blood is used in traditional sacrifices in Prampram”. I like to point out to Dr Andoh that the issue is not about whether animal sacrifice takes place in Prampram or not. It is the Bishop’s description of what she said she saw and experienced in Prampram in 1954 that is being debated as doubtful and questionable. She wrote, “when I got there I saw something I had never witnessed before: every street and houses were splattered with animal blood. The fetish people had slaughtered every goat, chicken and bird available and splattered the blood everywhere”. “Their bodies were painted with red, blue and green paints”.

Dr Andoh justifies the Bishop’s incredible and inimitable position with the following statement, “I used to observe my own grand grandfather (who was a native of Prampram) slaughter chicken in the open and left it to flutter about till it died. Where would Mr Doku expect to see the splatter of blood if not on the walls and on the ground”. In my view the actions of Dr Andoh’s grandfather bears no resemblance to the situation in hand as described by the Bishop in her book. She said every house and every street was splattered with the blood of animals. I understand this assertion in the book to mean one thing, thus the practice of religious animal sacrifices in 1954 on a massive scale which is of course not true. Surely, Dr Andoh with his intellect, apparently a PhD holder could have made out a better case rather than this simple anecdotal story about how his grandfather slaughtered chickens in his house in relative comparison to the serious charge which the humble people of Prampram are never going to be able to clear themselves of: - the charge of performing the detestable fetish practice of mass animal slaughter purposefully for sacrifices, and splattering the outer walls of every house and streets with the ensuing blood.

Dr Andoh stated that “Mr. Doku, as a lone crusader, fighting to elevate his native town in the eyes of the world proclaims that he has been met with suspicion and hate from some of his own people from Prampram”. He went on to say “he had come from London on a visit to his beloved Prampram and yet he had to sleep outside of Prampram for fear of his own life. This is a pitiful assertion indeed. Who then is Mr Doku fighting for?”

My answer to this statement is that YES I was cautious about sleeping in Prampram because I was threatened by a member of Bishop Miller’s church, by the name of Mr Samuel Narh Gberbie who is a Prampram citizen and apparently a practising pastor with the Oasis of Love church. He telephoned me in the UK before my visit to Ghana and said, “if you come to Prampram and anything happens to you, you must be responsible for your own actions”. I believe even Dr Andoh would understand that it would be foolish of me not to take Mr Gberbie’s threat seriously. The threat may well have come from a higher authority and I cannot guarantee that people like Mr Gberbie who follow instructions of their cult leaders without question would not carry out such threat. I would like to reassure Dr Andoh that I have not received threats from anyone else in Prampram apart from Mr Samuel Narh Gberbie.

My answer to the question “Who then is Mr Doku fighting for?” is that I am fighting for my own right to be treated with dignity and respect and the same must be rendered to the people of Prampram accordingly. I say the people of Prampram because I had the blessing of the Paramount Chief of Prampram, Nene Tetteh Djan III to challenge Bishop Miller on the assertions made in her book. This followed my previous telephone contact with the Mantse while he was in the UK, and a subsequent meeting with him in August 2006 at his residence in Prampram.

Bishop Miller described Ghana as “Bush Country” in her book but Dr Andoh seems to justify why the Bishop was right to refer to Ghana as bush country with the statement “ those who have been flying across continents can admit that one sees Ghana from the air as predominantly bush country interspersed with towns and villages as compared with other countries”. My view on this is that Dr Andoh fails to understand that Bishop Miller did not publish the book in 1954, the year she claims to have visited Prampram, but rather in 1992 with re-prints in 1998, a sufficient time between visiting Ghana and publishing the book her to realise that the use of the words “bush country” could cause an offence, but such was the her determination to demean black people that she didn’t care about the use of such words even in 1998 for the re-print. Dr Andoh went on to say, “Bishop Miller who called the Gold Coast a “bush country” in the pre-independent days, was heard on the air and seen on the Ghana television throughout the country rejoicing with all Ghanaians and praying for the nation on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee on 6th March 2007. You can verify this fact with the media that covered the activities of churches on that day”. For Dr Andoh, this is a justification for the Bishop not to apologise for the offence caused and to continue to promote the sales of the book round the world as “true and incredible story” on her church website. What an incredible statement from a man who apparently holds a PhD.

Dr Andoh said “God did miracles at the hands of Bishop Miller as the book clearly shows, which Mr Doku never made any references to as he depicts the Bible as being accountable for the colonialist rape of the continent of Africa”. My answer to Dr Andoh is that, yes the book tells of the Bishop curing people with all kinds of ailments including people whose goitres vanished, numerous young deaf and dumb who were healed and were able to speak and hear. One deaf and dumb person immediately began to speak perfect English after he was healed by the Bishop. A cripple was able to walk, a young man with paralysed legs was able to run after being healed by the Bishop. People were delivered from epileptic demons. A young deaf and dumb man from Swedru was healed, and after he was healed began to sing “Happy, Happy”. Others with heart conditions were cured. Someone who was blind for 10 years was able to see again.

Does Dr Andoh seriously expect me to comment on such events? My aim is not to challenge or comment on the spiritual prowess of Bishop Miller. That is between Bishop Miller and her God. My aim is to challenge the factual inaccuracies and the abusive and racist language used by Bishop Miller to describe the people of Prampram, and the immorality of making money and fame out of such lies and abuses.

Dr Andoh further said, “if Mr Doku is bent on seeing prominent buildings in his town, then why can’t he give Bishop Miller the credit for putting up the most prominent building in Prampram, and to crown it all she chose a terrain that adjoins the Prampram cemetery, the last place Mr Doku himself would have chosen as a place of domicile. And that is where she lives in the country ”.

I don’t understand the argument about Bishop Miller choosing to live near a cemetery. Is Bishop Miller doing the people of Prampram any favours by choosing to live near a cemetery? Anyone who knows Prampram and has travelled along the Prampram – Ningo road (Abia) would tell you that the area described by Dr Andoh is the most sought after in Prampram, a place which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. I can’t imagine being able to afford to pay for the land in that area but if I could it would be my first choice. I therefore don’t understand Dr Andoh’s logic in this assumption. Secondly, Dr Andoh appears to be saying that Bishop Miller is right in refusing to apologise to the people of Prampram, simply because she has already compensated them by erecting a prominent building in Prampram, a building which now only serves her church members, - her cult followers as well as her incumbent collaborators who go about threatening the few bold people of Prampram who dare speak out against Bishop Miller and cohorts. What an amazing statement coming from Dr Andoh.

Dr Andoh ended his case by saying “I am praying that you see what forces are prompting him (meaning me) to initiate the crusade he has embarked upon and repent”. My question to Dr Andoh is, Repent for what? What is there to repent for when one stands for truth and righteousness. I believe Dr Andoh is praying for the wrong person in this case.

During my visit to Prampram in September/October 2007, I spoke with scores of people in Prampram; young, old, Christians and as well as traditionalists. I also visited and spoke to people in Dawhyenya and Afienya. At no time did anyone support the book’s content. I was on both Ada and Abonu Radio “phone-in” programmes about the Bishop’s book, and again the callers were clearly in support of what I was doing. The only descending voice in all of this was from one Mr Botwe who phoned-in in support of Bishop Miller. Needless to say Mr Botwe declared that he is a member of the Bishop’s church. Mr Botwe argued that the Anglican and Methodist churches that were in Prampram at the time of the Bishop’s arrival in 1954 the form of worship by the Anglican and Methodist churches in Prampram at the time was no different from voodoo worship and therefore Bishop Miller was right in not recognising these two churches as being true Christian. According to Mr Botwe the Bishop was therefore right to claim that she brought Christianity to Prampram.

I would say to Dr Andoh that if he believes that what the Bishop said and the language used to describe the people is right, then he should ask the Bishop to return to Prampram and restate her case in a public debate involving the people of Prampram. Being the self-appointed spokes person for Bishop Miller, I would like to invite Dr Andoh or Bishop Miller herself to do exactly as I did in the four weeks that I was in Prampram in August 2007, to visit Prampram, Dawhyenya and Afienya , talk to the people in the streets, at lorry stations, in their homes and tell them why the Bishop was right in what she wrote in her book. Obonu radio offered Mr Gberbie the opportunity to put his case on the same radio phone-in programme but he has still not taken the offer. I can arrange for Dr Andoh or Bishop Miller to be guest speakers on Obonu or Ada radio to promote and debate the merits of the book if they wish to do so.

I would like to end this by saying to Dr Andoh and Bishop Miller that this issue would never go away as long as the Bishop continues to refuse to render an apology to the people of Prampram. There is now a greater awareness amongst the people of Prampram regarding the deliberate attempt by Bishop Miller and her selfish collaborators to exploit the good name of Prampram for their own reckless ends.

Dr Andoh should take the offer of invitation to visit Prampram, talk to the people and he will realise the extent of anger amongst the people and the allegations regarding the real reason for Arthur Speck’s (Bishop Miller’s grandson) quick exist from Ghana, allegations about the real reason why Bishop Miller is collaborating with some well established churches to have her buried in Prampram when she dies and a whole host of allegations flying around in the town. The people of Prampram are not stupid and can see through Bishop Miller’s dubious activities in the name of Christianity, but sadly there are people who continue to intimidate anyone bold enough to challenge the activities of the Bishop. Hence, what presently appears to be the calm silence amongst the people of Prampram can only be seen as the threatening fear of resultant requital, vengeance and intimidation from Bishop Miller’s church members and henchmen waiting to be dished out on anyone who ventures to speak out against the Bishop and her church.

Only in Ghana can someone come to the country and abuse the people and their culture, and yet be allowed to continue to enjoy the freedom of the country and profit from it as well. It wouldn’t happen anywhere else in Africa I hope. In my view both Bishop Miller and Dr Andoh unashamedly and deliberately set out to degrade the people of Prampram by their unwitting expressions and quotations; but such indefensible actions on their part can indeed also be interpreted sometimes by right, decent minded people as truly degrading to humanity itself.

My appeal to Bishop Miller therefore is for her to do the decent thing, apologise to the people of Ghana and in particular the people of Prampram. This is not only the right thing to do but also to show to the world that she is strong enough to admit an error in print. This action will exonerate her, indicate to the church she is truly committed to the basic Christian principle of seeking the truth in the eyes of the Lord. That is what humble men and women would expect of a person that calls herself a Bishop and supposedly a pillar of society.

Source: Sam Doku

Email:paa_fio@yahoo.com