Denials, Denials, Denials!! That is what government officials and ministries do. The reporter who wrote the story did not concoct the story out of thin air. What was he to gain from reporting a story that is so common in the ... read full comment
Denials, Denials, Denials!! That is what government officials and ministries do. The reporter who wrote the story did not concoct the story out of thin air. What was he to gain from reporting a story that is so common in the area? Maltreatment, stigmatization, beating and killing of alleged witches. Instead of going up there to find out what is actually happening, or instead of contacting the reporter to find out who is attacking whom and how best to address the issue, your only interest is to condemn the reporter. You shouldn't wait until someone is killed before you realize the mistakes you made in closing the camp without having taken all the necessary precautionary measures. A word to the wise ........
TIJANI 8 years ago
This is a release paper to correct what was falsely published. I'm from Tamale, I know for the fact that there is no witch camp in Tamale, so why did the reporter made such claims. What benefits do the reporter get apart from ... read full comment
This is a release paper to correct what was falsely published. I'm from Tamale, I know for the fact that there is no witch camp in Tamale, so why did the reporter made such claims. What benefits do the reporter get apart from trying to tarnish the image of the area.
Nii Nortey (New York) 8 years ago
Rianteke, don't be naïve. Am surprised u asking what was he to gain. I can tell you that his intention was to do the dirty job for his pay masters, by finding something negative against the ministry of gender affairs.
Rianteke, don't be naïve. Am surprised u asking what was he to gain. I can tell you that his intention was to do the dirty job for his pay masters, by finding something negative against the ministry of gender affairs.
Patriotic Ghanaian . USA. 8 years ago
Thanks for very much for the clarification on the Witch debacle .
Thanks for very much for the clarification on the Witch debacle .
Bernard 8 years ago
Join the Global Campaign Action/2015 against poverty and inequality and call on Global Leaders to make good their pledges towards climate change;the SDGs; Financing for Development etc.
Join the Global Campaign Action/2015 against poverty and inequality and call on Global Leaders to make good their pledges towards climate change;the SDGs; Financing for Development etc.
Agyei 8 years ago
A country completely upside dowm ... How could they attribute a witch camp central Gonja to Tamale and Sagnerigu?
A country completely upside dowm ... How could they attribute a witch camp central Gonja to Tamale and Sagnerigu?
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
Feature Article of Thursday, 21 May 2015
Columnist: Igwe, Leo
Understanding Witchcraft and Witch Sanctuaries in Northern Ghana «
»Comments (7)
READ:
By Leo Igwe
Witch sanctuaries, described by local NGOs ... read full comment
Feature Article of Thursday, 21 May 2015
Columnist: Igwe, Leo
Understanding Witchcraft and Witch Sanctuaries in Northern Ghana «
»Comments (7)
READ:
By Leo Igwe
Witch sanctuaries, described by local NGOs as 'witch camps' form part of the infrastructure of witchcraft in Northern Ghana. These sanctuaries are shrines, though one of sanctuaries in Gushiegu is not attached to any shrine. Tindana are the heads of the sanctuaries. The Dagbani term, Tindana, literally means- the one who owns the land. They are responsible for consulting the Tindang, the community spirit or god whenever there is a problem like drought or epidemic, war, plague, accusations of death or illness witchcraft, etc
Bouiglana and Tingdana play similar roles in the local management of magic and medicine. Dagomba use both terms interchangeably to refer to shrine priests and local medicine men and women. From my own observations, Bouiglana are custodians of private gods or Bouigli. Bouigli means 'something which people worship' and believe could solve their problems. Bouigli are healers, consolers or problem solvers. They are translated as gods. These gods are localized and domesticated at shrines which people erect in their houses. Bouigli are many. They are always written in plural. The 'Bouigli gods' are different from the 'Naawuni God'. Naawuni is singular and refers to 'supreme deity'. Naawuni does not have a shrine and cannot be crafted and seen as in the case of Bouigli. Bouigli are smaller manifestation of the Naawuni. Dagomba can turn a lizard or crocodile into a Bouigli. People have clay pots as Bouigli.. They keep them in their houses and worship them . Dagomba sacrifice fowls and sprinkle blood on it. They pray to them and ask them for solutions to their problem. They buy cow milk and smear it on the pot. Tindang is a community spirit that is domesticated in a shrine. The Tindana are the physical custodians. Tindana and Bougilana are assumed to have extraordinary powers and can see what ordinary persons cannot see. When somebody is accused of witchcraft. It is the Bouglana or Tingdana who perform rituals to confirm if the accused is guilty or innocent. Apart from this ritual performance, Bouiglana or Tindana lead wars particularly very crucial wars because people believe that they have powers-supernatural powers to defeat the enemy. They have powers to ward off any calamity that befalls or could befall the village. For instance when there is drought, they normally come out, with fresh cow milk in a bigger calabash.They scoop the milk with a smaller calabash and pour it back to the bigger one in symbolic demonstration of rainfall. It is believed that such ritual would lead to cloud formation and rainfall. The Tindana or Bouiglana are assisted by other members of the priestly class in managing the shrines- conducting rituals and providing accommodation for accused persons who cannot return to their communities after the rituals. Tindana operate under the chief of the community, who are the political heads. At Gambaga, the structure is different. The chief - known as the Gambarana - is also the Tindana. Accused persons living in this sanctuary are only women, some of the women are living with their children or grand children. The inmates of the sanctuary in Gambaga come from the Dagomba, Konkomba, Bimoba and Mamprusi communities. The Kukuo sanctuary in Bimbillah is under a chief- the chief of Kukuo. Unlike the Gambaga camp, the Tindana is in charge of the sanctuary and performs the rituals associated with accusations of witchcraft. The sanctuary has only accused women, some of them live with their children or grand children. Accused persons are mainly Nanumba but there are few women from Dagomba, Konkomba and Katokoli-in Togo- ethnic communities. Kukuo is actually the only international witch sanctuary in the region. Accused persons live among the local population and include generations of accused women and their descendants. According to my informants, one way to differentiate the houses of accused persons from other members of the local community members is that accused persons live in single rooms while locals live in multiple room apartments.
I visited the witch sanctuary at Bonyase. It was recently closed down by the government. The Bonyase sanctuary is the least populated in the region. This sanctuary is unique because it is the only one in the region that had a female priest. The priestess is in her 70s. She took over the management of the shrine following the death of her father. This female Tindana used to be a bunisness woman living at the regional, Tamale. She was about to perform the muslim pilgrimage when the shrine chose her to succeed the father as the priestess. Apparently, the job of the community priestesse changed the course of her life and disrupted her growth and development as a muslim. As the Tindana of the community, she is not allowed to spend a night outside the community. All the accused persons at the Bonyase sanctuary were elderly women from the Dagomba and Gonja communities. There were no children in this sanctuary. There used to be some children at the shrine some years ago. When I inquired to know why there were no children staying with the women, I was told that the priestess did not allow families to bring children to come and stay with the accused. Four of the seven witch sanctuaries exist in Dagomba land. These are the sanctuaries in Gushiegu, Kpatinga, Nabuli and Gnani. All the accused persons at Gushiegu are female. The sanctuary is unique because it has no Tindana attached to it. No ritual is involved in the entrance and exit of alleged witches. An accused person who arrives the village reports to the chief who hands her over to the leaders of the women at the sanctuary. There are two sections of the sanctuary. There is the integrated sanctuary of accused persons who live amongst the local population and the non integrated sanctuary of the accused who live separately at a particular section of Gushiegu. This had nothing to do with the accusation. The non integrated witch sanctuary is a consequence of efforts by the local chief to contain the influx of accused persons to the community. The catholic church and some Non Governmental Organisations(NGOs)- Actionaid, Songtaba, Witch hunts Victims Empowerment Project (WHVEP) are active at this sanctuary. These groups have helped in refurbishing the houses, providing literary lessons to the women and children. Whenever possible, they facilitate the reintergration of those who are willing to go back to their families.The Gushiegu sanctuary has recorded a decline in the number of accused persons living there over the years.
The other two sanctuaries under Gushiegu districts- in Kpatinga and Nabuli are under the community chiefs. They are managed by a Tindana. The Tindana reports to the chiefs as the traditional protocol demands. The Tindana at Kpatinga sanctuary is in his 50s. He dropped out of school when he was in primary four and later took up the position of the Tingdana. He turns back any accused persons which came to the shrine without the family members. Accused persons pay the Tindana the sum of 100 Ghana cedis, a goat and two fowls. Sometimes he waives some of the items if the accused could not afford them. Any accused person leaving the shrine makes the same payments. Actionaid, Songtaba, Witchhunts Empowerment Project and the World Vision are active in the Kpatinga sanctuary. World Vision refurbished the houses of the alleged witches. WHVEP provides literacy programs to women and children in the camp.
The Nabuli witch sanctuary is latest of all. It started in the 90s. The priest in charge of the sanctuary is dead. A new Tindang has not been appointed. I was informed that the Dagomba-Konkomba war that took place in 1994 led to the formation of the sanctuary. During the conflict, accused women from the Konkomba ethnic group staying in sanctuaries located in Dagomba areas fled and settled at this site. This sanctuary in Nabuli is unique because it is the only one that is ethnically homogenous. All the accused persons come from the Konkomba ethnic group. During my conversation with the accused persons, some expressed willingness to return to their families. Actionaid, Songtaba, Witchhunts Victims Empowerment Project have support programs at Nabuli. I noticed little signs of the support programs at the Nabuli witch sanctuary as compared with other sanctuaries across the region. There were no houses with corrugated iron sheets no borehole or underground water tank as in the Gushiegu sanctuary. I think this is mainly due to accessibility. The Nabuli sanctuary is located in a very remote area. Most parts of road linking the Nabuli sanctuary and the Gushiegu town are still under construction or unmotorable. Gnani witch sanctuary is under Yendi district. It has a Tindana as well who works under a local chief. According to local legend, the first Ya-Na of Dagbon invited a priest to protect the kingdom (Actionaid 2008 p. 22). The priest gave him a magical stone which was kept in with a priest in Gnani.The location of this magic stone made Gnani a spiritually significant community and over the years a destination accused persons who are contesting the label applied to them Unlike other witch sanctuaries in the region, Gnani Tindang has accused persons from Dagomba and Konkomba ethnic groups. Gnani tindang is the only witch sanctuary that has male accused persons in the region.
I spent 8 days in May 2013 living at the sanctuary in Gnani. I observed how the accused go about their daily lives. I spent some time conversing with both the "witches" and "wizards" at the sanctuary. One of them is a middle aged man who confessed to being a wizard. He said some people in the community beat him terribly to the point that he had to admit to indulging in witchcraft so that they could leave him. He fled the community and took refuge at Gnani Tingdang. He has no plan of going back to his community. Another elderly man was too eager to reunite with the family members. He left them behind and was living alone at the sanctuary. He was banished for sickness witchcraft.- for making a child in the family ill using harmful magic. He denied the accusation and is looking for somebody who could help facilitate his return to the community. When I visted his villaga Bakpaba, some of the community members wondered why he wanted to return. They said the man had while he was the acting chief of the village expelled a woman who was accused of witchcraft and the woman was staying in the same witch sanctuary with him.
I met an elderly man in his 60s He is both a Bagha (soothsayer) and a Bouiglana. His case stands out because he continues with the job of divination and ritual sacrifice at Gnani. He fled his community and took refuge in Gnani sanctuary with his family after the brother accused him of attempting to kill him using magical means. The brother mobilize some people who brought him to the village square and flogged him. I asked him why he did not use his medicinal powers to cure the brother and neutralize the witchcraft. The man said the accusation had nothing to do with the health problem because the brother later recovered. That the accusation has to do with a local chieftaincy dispute. The brother wanted to be the chief of the village but it was not his turn yet so he used the accusation to get rid of him so that he could become the chief.
Some of the accused persons I met were willing to return to their communities but others were not. Some would prefer to relocate to another community because of the way they were disgracefully expelled. A few told me they would never return and would rather spend the rest of their life at the sanctuary at Kukuo. As the government of Ghana is working to disband the 'witch camps', it should seriously consider the role these sanctuaries play in providing a safety net for accused persons in the region.
Read Article
Comment: Re: Understanding Witchcraft and Witch Sanctuaries
Author: Prof Lungu
Date: 2015-05-21 01:54:15
Comment to: Understanding Witchcraft and Witch Sanctuaries in
Wow!
All this, in Nkrumah's Ghana!
READ: "...Across from the "elites" and moving forward, are the millions still living in Ghana, and the other millions now gone, who by the stroke of birth, luck, or geography, never benefited as much, either from the CPP-Nkrumah legacy, or from any number of institutions and programs, after that fateful coup d'état of 1966. That, we submit, is a self-evident fact, and to them, we owe a lot. It is to them that we must provide reasonable, balanced, and fair alternatives to conceptions of public policy and administration whenever we have a medium. We ought to do this through discourses and practice, as suggested, so all will know that there are alternative world visions that promise better, faster development opportunities for Ghana, and the communities in which they live. This directly touches on the role of education and the vantage position of the so-called "educated" Ghanaian man or woman (the elites), scholar or not...(Prof Lungu, 5 May 15).
Our thanks to Leo Igwe for this report.
Peace!
Your Comment:
Subject:
Your Name:
Comment to Article
05-21 01:54
Re: Understanding Witchcraft and Witch Sanctuaries
Prof Lungu05-21 01:54
Informative
Esi05-21 02:26
DON'T JUSTIFY ABUSE OF WOMEN
OK05-21 07:34
Re: DON'T JUSTIFY ABUSE OF WOMEN
Prof Lungu05-21 09:22
Re: DON'T JUSTIFY ABUSE OF WOMEN
Esi05-21 23:49
you shd not disband witch camps
Issah Sulemana05-21 09:43
Witch Sanctuary
Asass, Ksi05-21 14:24
Prof Lungu 8 years ago
Feature Article of Friday, 22 May 2015
Columnist: Igwe, Leo
From Children of 'Witches' to 'Child Witches' in Ghana
»Comments (5)
READ:
By Leo Igwe
Children are among those who populate the witch camps in ... read full comment
Feature Article of Friday, 22 May 2015
Columnist: Igwe, Leo
From Children of 'Witches' to 'Child Witches' in Ghana
»Comments (5)
READ:
By Leo Igwe
Children are among those who populate the witch camps in the Northern Ghana. These children are not at the sanctuary because they were accused of witchcraft. They are at these shelters because their mothers or grand mothers were accused. But from my observations, many of these children end up suffering as a result the label of witchcraft applied to their mothers or grand mothers. The belief in child witches exist among the Dagomba and other ethnic communities in the Northern region. But it takes a different dimension.
In 2012, I visited an orphanage in Sang near Yendi. This orphanage provides a shelter for some children accused of witchcraft. Child witchcraft has a different pattern among the Dagomba. Child witches are not perceived as 'little gods' of the Bangwa performing extraordinary things but as the incarnation of evil and ominous signs for the family. Children who are born with disability or those whose mother died after delivery are believed to be vectors of evil magic. They are branded witches. I was informed that some family members kill or abandon such babies on an anthill or in a forest. The children at the orphanage in Sang are some of the child witches rescued and brought to the shelter by some well meaning individuals.
The witchcraft circumstances of the children at the sanctuaries are entirely a different issue. Children are staying in these sanctuaries because of their relationship with accused persons. Concerns about the rights and welfare of these children have been debated by different stakeholders mulling over how to improve the living conditions in the sanctuaries.
Some of the children are living with their own parents. Some were delivered at the camp. I met during my field work a woman at Gushiegu sanctuary who was nursing a baby. He became pregnant and gave birth to the baby while at the witch camp. The number of children in these sanctuaries vary from sanctuary to sanctuary. Gnani witch sanctuary has the highest number of children. This is because in Gnani there are more accused persons living with their families including men than in any other sanctuary.
There are accused women at the sanctuaries who are living alone because they have no children or grand children. Some women have children and grand children but none is staying with them. None has been sent to help look after them. I noticed that getting to live with one's children or grand children is a factor of the position of family members on the accusation, that is whether one's family members support the accusation or not. Children who support the accusation and banishment of their mothers do not visit them. They do not send their daughters to live with them. The main reason for this is that they fear that the children could be infected with witchcraft or possibly be killed by their 'witch mother or grand mother'. Also they fear that the children could beaccused of harmful magic when they later return back to the communities.
Dagomba believe witchcraft powers can be inherited or transferred. Parents-often female parents and grand parents - can pass the powers on to their children and grand children. Dagomba banish people 'convicted' of witchcraft to prevent them from using the powers against other members of the family or community and also to prevent them from transferring their powers to others. Some children who are sent to look after their grand mothers end up staying back at the witch camps because of this concern. At the witch sanctuary in Kukuo, I met elderly women in their 90s who came to look after their grand mothers but stayed back after the grand mother died.
Some children are living at the sanctuary because their fathers were accused. This is the case in Gnani camp, the only sanctuary that accommodates accused males. Some men who are accused of witchcraft and then banished from their communities relocate to the witch camp with their entire family including their wives and children. I observed that not all accused male parents were living with their families at the sanctuary. The accused male persons who relocate with their entire family are those who children are still very young, and still need parental care and support.
Accused fathers whose children are adults at the time of accusation and banishment do not usually relocate with their families and children. Some male parents who are not living with their families are either those who do not have the means to accommodate or cater for them or those who intend to return back to their communities after some time. The children I saw living with their accused fathers at Gnani Tingdang were either born there or were babies when their fathers relocated to Gnani. Children have become part of the phenomenon of witch sanctuary in Ghana. The government of Ghana announced last year that it would abolished the 'witch camps'. It is important that the government factors into the process the rights and welfare of these 'children of witches' who have now become 'child witches'.
Read Article
Comment: Esi, showlights, Leo, and All...
Author: Prof Lungu
Date: 2015-05-22 14:34:11
Comment to:blacks are SAD race..
The saddest thing, for us, is thus far, not a single Ghana government agency responsible for the Welfare, Education, Health, Employment, and Development of "children", "girls" and "women", have bothered to provide any comment or information to this, or the first essay, "Understanding Witchcraft and Witch Sanctuaries in Northern Ghana, published 20 May 2015.
The way we see it, this is a gross abdication of their duties and responsibilities. It tells us they do not care, and can't be bothered.
Instead, we have a Chris Christie "RADIO SILENCE".
Imagine, even from a serious practice perspective, the Tourism Ministry itself, has a stake in this sad cultural artifact.
RADIO SILENCE: Mahama-NDC government!
Ba su kula da yara na Ghana (They do not care for the children of Ghana)!
Thanks again, Leo Igwe, for standing up for justice, equity, and fairness for all in Ghana and Africa!
Greetings!
Your Comment:
Subject:
Your Name:
Comment to Article
05-22 04:18
Thank you.
Esi05-22 04:18
blacks are SAD race..
showlights05-22 06:36
Esi, showlights, Leo, and All...
Prof Lungu05-22 14:34
Prof Lungu
Esi05-22 20:51
Re: Prof Lungu
Prof Lungu05-22 22:28
Mohammed Abdulai 8 years ago
I cannot believe Ghana eith these many educated people will believe thrre is such a thing as witches. These poor old ladies are subjected to all kinds all evil treatment even when people die of natural causes. Pleade wake up, ... read full comment
I cannot believe Ghana eith these many educated people will believe thrre is such a thing as witches. These poor old ladies are subjected to all kinds all evil treatment even when people die of natural causes. Pleade wake up, the world is leaving Africa far behind.
Denials, Denials, Denials!! That is what government officials and ministries do. The reporter who wrote the story did not concoct the story out of thin air. What was he to gain from reporting a story that is so common in the ...
read full comment
This is a release paper to correct what was falsely published. I'm from Tamale, I know for the fact that there is no witch camp in Tamale, so why did the reporter made such claims. What benefits do the reporter get apart from ...
read full comment
Rianteke, don't be naïve. Am surprised u asking what was he to gain. I can tell you that his intention was to do the dirty job for his pay masters, by finding something negative against the ministry of gender affairs.
Thanks for very much for the clarification on the Witch debacle .
Join the Global Campaign Action/2015 against poverty and inequality and call on Global Leaders to make good their pledges towards climate change;the SDGs; Financing for Development etc.
A country completely upside dowm ... How could they attribute a witch camp central Gonja to Tamale and Sagnerigu?
Feature Article of Thursday, 21 May 2015
Columnist: Igwe, Leo
Understanding Witchcraft and Witch Sanctuaries in Northern Ghana «
»Comments (7)
READ:
By Leo Igwe
Witch sanctuaries, described by local NGOs ...
read full comment
Feature Article of Friday, 22 May 2015
Columnist: Igwe, Leo
From Children of 'Witches' to 'Child Witches' in Ghana
»Comments (5)
READ:
By Leo Igwe
Children are among those who populate the witch camps in ...
read full comment
I cannot believe Ghana eith these many educated people will believe thrre is such a thing as witches. These poor old ladies are subjected to all kinds all evil treatment even when people die of natural causes. Pleade wake up, ...
read full comment