‘Seeking the Face of God in Trying Times:’ Law, Religion and Covid-19 Crisis in Secular Ghana

In this presentation, I project the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as an arena of religious and legal entanglements. In spite of the constitutional insistence on the separation of law and religion, I contend that the latter has played an ambivalent role as a limiter and promoter of public health and safety. I present the State deployment of law and the activities and operations of religious actors in society as a significant mechanism of managing the coronavirus pandemic in Ghana. In doing so, I demonstrate the ambivalent nature of Ghanaian secularism, focusing on the role of law and religion in sustaining public health and safety in Ghana. The presentation demonstrates the extent to which religious resources have forged a significant constellation of the management of the pandemic in Ghana.