Is goga a bad romance?
For centuries the Mengen people of Papua New Guinea have taken part in a ritual spirit dance called goga.
“I can hear the reedy whistling sound of the goga in the background as it echoes throughout the valley. It’s kind of an eerie noise, especially with thick fog swirling all around us,” wrote missionary Becky Preheim.
In the traditional ceremony the men dress up in full-length masks and dance in the village. Part of the ritual is convincing the women that these masks are spirits that came out of the jungle. A reedy whistling sound would signify that the spirits were coming and then they would “vanish” back to wherever they came from.
“For the party taking place this week, things are different here in the village,” Becky wrote. “This is the first time in ages that the mask ceremony is happening right here among us, and it is a huge thing for our believers, as they are faced with many decisions as to what they should do and how they should participate.”
There are many cultural and social implications in the goga ceremony and the believers need to decide how they should react.
Pray for the Mengen believers as God’s Word and cultural imperatives clash. Pray that they will stand strong for God and be an example to the community around them of lives changed by Jesus.