Everyday Islam in Kumasi: Devout Lay Men and Women in Daily Life

by Gracia Clark

Allabar Women's Islamic School

The wife of an Islamic teacher founded this school in their home, in one of Kumasi's oldest Muslim neighborhoods. A long front room holds beginning, intermediate and advanced groups. It offers Arabic, English, math and sciences classes, and she has hired Muslim and non-Muslim teachers to present the full public school curriculum, although the school gets no government support. The students are mostly married women, who attend part time in between their family and work responsibilities.

Bantama Women's Fellowship

Bantama mosque serves a central Kumasi neighborhood that historically contained a large proportion of Muslim families before colonial rule. On Fridays, a group of women gathers under the supervision of the local Imam, to study the Koran and learn basic Arabic. On two Fridays they heard an explanation of this website project and were invited to record interviews for posting on it. Interviews were held in the large women's side chamber of the mosque before prayers began.

Tafo Women's Fellowship

Old Tafo lies along the main highway north from Kumasi, and was one of the earliest settlements for immigrant Northerners. As an old Muslim community it has several neighborhood mosques, and the imam of one founded a government-supported primary and middle school that offers instruction in the Koran and Arabic language along with the standard national curriculum. This group of women attends that mosque and meets on Fridays to learn Arabic and read the Koran. After hearing about the website project, those who agreed to record an interview for it met us in an empty classroom.

Women

A Secondary School Teacher

A Secondary School Teacher

Date: 2006
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"My Mum never gave up."
A Trader and a Teacher

A Trader and a Teacher

Date: 2006
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"My uncle saw that I was not interested in marriage, so one day he just called me and said 'I want you to be married to your brother [cousin],' and it worked."
An Arabic Teacher

An Arabic Teacher

Date: 2006
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"As I understood the teachings of Islam, I pledged to let my fellow Muslims also know more about Islam and the Koran. That is why I prefer teaching."
Not Every Woman Can Do This Work

Not Every Woman Can Do This Work

Date: 2006
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"It is only me, a woman selling these double axles here. My family are proud of me as a woman selling this, because it is not easy for some women to learn this trade."
The Work of God

The Work of God

Date: 2006
Format: Image-MovingImage/mp4
"Next time that I greet you, with the grace of God you will also be a Muslim."
Halima Abdallah

Halima Abdallah

Date: August 21, 2009
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"I don't think I can marry again."