Introduction / History The Bowiri people live in the Volta Region in the eastern part of Ghana. Their main subsistence is growing cassava, maize, yams and other cultures which they sell among other places in the market in Kwamekrom. They live in compounds of about fifteen persons, usually the husband, his two wives and the husband's extended family.
The district headquarters are located in Jasikan, which is about five kilometers away. The paramount chief of the twelve Bowiri villages resides in Amanfrom, but there is a dispute over the paramountcy with the town of Anyinase. (The doctrine of "paramountcy" is the legal principle that reconciles contradicting or conflicting laws in a federalist state. Where both the central government and the provincial or state governments have the power to create laws in relation to the same matters, the laws of one government will be given priority over the other through the doctrine.)
Although Bowiri is not one of the languages officially developed in Ghana, the maintenance of the Bowiri language can be considered stable, with about one quarter of the population said to be speaking only Bowiri. A further quarter of the population is indicated as living outside the traditional area, mostly due to lack of opportunities for employment and secondary education.
The Bowiri people can look back on several decades of missionary involvement, yet the traditional religion clearly has maintained its stronghold, and it is not clear to what extent people have really become converted and to what extent they only took Christianity as an add-on to their traditional religion. Since preaching in the churches is done only in Ewe, this makes it difficult for many people to understand the Gospel.
JP Unreached of Day
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