The Editor, Sir:

I was appalled to read the letter from Lloyd Coke (Sunday, December 9) that referred to the cultural ritual of a 'nine night' as pagan and correlating it with the rise in criminality. This attitude is reflective of the missionaries colonialist Christianity and the Willie Lynch syndrome. If everyone has the right to personal and collective forms of spiritual expressions, why do some people insist on imposing their belief system on others?

It smacks of European notions of superiority (i.e. civilising the savages). After all, only the European notions of God are valid. I would suggest that our people check the violence that was used to spread European interests under the guise of Christianity. Research the letter sent by Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain to the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean that threatened to kill those who did not accept 'Christianity'; or Leopold of Belgium telling his minions to disclose only those parts of the Bible that would make the Congolese people submissive; or the wholesale slaughter of non-Christians everywhere that colonised Christianity set up a trading post with a church and a jail, etc.

European concept

All around the world peoples were slaughtered, brutalised, mutilated, robbed, exploited and raped with n but to accept the 'civilising' European concept of Christianity.

It is indeed ironic that 'paganism' is being correlated with criminality, and Christianity is presumed righteous, pure even. My point is that the Earth has many peoples, languages, spiritual and cultural forms and just because one internalises and regurgitates European notions of superiority and colonialist concepts of Christianity does not make other forms of spirituality any less valid or inferior.

I am, etc.,

APITO JOHNSON

apitoabeng@hotmail.com

Toronto, Canada