Remember the pictures of Ian Paisley and David Trimble dancing gaily, hand-in-hand, down the Garvaghey Road, in the Wee Six a while back? Actually it was in 1997.

Since then a lot has changed. Ian fell out with David, and sure didn't David fall out with Ian. No longer male dancing buddies, they squared off in the recent UK general election, in which Ian beat the bejabers out of his erstwhile terpsichorean partner.

How deep was the falling out? Not hard to answer. In the days leading up to the election, Ian charitably looked forward to David hanging with his neck in a noose. His exact words were that his rival was "just counting the time to the electric chair and the rope".

Tough talk indeed, and him a minister! Surely no talk for a Christian.

But, and it must warm the hearts of all God-fearing Orangemen, it's dancing time again come next month's celebrations of the Glorious Twelth of July, the date in 1690 when William of Orange defeated Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne.

How so? Well, wonders will never cease. It's how there are currently about 20 Orange Lodges in west Africa, Ghana and Togo to be precise, where "the revival of democracy" is credited with a spurt in interest and growth of commitment to the Orange Order, particularly among youth lodges.

Democracy and Orangeism. A queer coupling indeed. But that's what Dr Rachel Naylor, a lecturer in sociology at the Magee campus of the University of Ulster says her research has found.

Dr Naylor says whilst there are several theories put forward as to why the Orange Order in the past managed to gain a foothold in Africa, none is yet proven.

They include the possibility that Orangeism was introduced by missionaries in Nigeria or else by members of the British military.

Most of the Ghana lodges celebrate the Battle of the Boyne with a church service and parade. Like their paler counterparts in Northern Ireland, male lodge members in Ghana wear suits and collarettes and march behind their lodge's banner.

Orangewomen wear their collarettes over white dresses.

Since seeing is believing, the BBC carried a photograph of one of the African lodges in a report on May 17 last, shown below.

To fall back on an old saying: "That beats Banagher, and Banagher beats the drum!"

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