ABSTRACT
The argument of this chapter is that the migration of the Akan people from Ghana (Kumasi) to the Netherlands (the Bijlmer district, a neighbourhood of Amsterdam that is geographically distinct from the rest of the Dutch capital) has caused a transformation in their religious identity. 1 Ghanaian films and the mediatory role of Akan chiefs are used as indicators of their religious change. This is a phenomenon, which can be explained by focusing on the differences in the notion of home of the Akan people in both localities. I will first concentrate on the nature of the religious change in the identity of the Akan migrants in Southeast Amsterdam. Then I will provide evidence to support this change by sharing the results of my research on the mediatory role of Akan chiefs and my study of the reception of Ghanaian films in both Ghana and the Netherlands. In the final part, I would like to provide an explanation for the Akan people’s religious change by delving into existing theories on the different notions of home for people in their country of origin and migrants in their country of residence.
