Gambaga Witch camp is a segregated community within Gambaga township in the Northern Region of

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

established in the 18th century to accommodate alleged witches and wizards who are banished from their communities. The camp has about 25 round huts, and holds about 100 women. No health services or indoor plumbing are available. Many women in Ghana's

witch camp Witch camps are settlements where women in Ghana who have been accused of being witches can flee for safety. Women in such camps have been accused of witchcraft for various reasons, including mental illness. Some camps are thought to have been cr ...

s are

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...

s and it is thought that relatives accused them of

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...

in order to take control of their husbands' possessions. Other old women in the camp have been accused of using

black magic Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 14 ...

to cause misfortunes in their community. Many women also are

mentally ill A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

, a little understood problem in Ghana. In Gambaga, the women are given protection by the local chieftain and in return, pay him and work in his fields.

Responses

The Brong Ahafo regional youth organiser of the

New Patriotic Party , logo = , colorcode = #132f7a , founder = , founded = 28 July 1992 , dissolved = , leader = Nana Akufo-Addo , chairman = Stephen Ayensu Ntim Stephen Ntim elected NPP National Chairman on fifth attempt http://www.gna.org.gh/1.2152672 ...

, Kwame Baffoe has likened those who do not understand the party's controversial free SHS education policy to witches who should be sent to the Gambaga witch camp to understand the practicality of the policy. The former first lady of Ghana,

Lordina Mahama Lordina Mahama (née Effah; born 6 March 1963) is a Ghanaian former First Lady of Ghana who served as first lady from 2012 to 2017. She is married to the fourth President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama. Prior to becoming Fi ...

, donated assorted items to the alleged witches in the camp for their upkeep during her tour to the northern sector of the country. Yaba Badoe made a documentary film, ''

The Witches of Gambaga ''The Witches of Gambaga'' is a Ghanaian 2011 documentary film directed by Yaba Badoe and produced by Amina Mama. Plot Women of various communities are accused of being witches by their families and how they fight the struggle of their society a ...

'' about the alleged witches.

References

External links

''Video by Yaba Badoe about women in Ghanaian camps''Dispatches Saving Africa's Witch ChildrenWitch Child Documentary
Populated places in the Northern Region (Ghana) Women in Ghana African witchcraft Refugee camps in Africa {{NorthernRegionGH-geo-stub

Responses

See also

References

External links