In the past, witchcraft was a topic that generated fear, mystery, and superstition. Many people believed that witches had supernatural powers and could cause harm to others through magic and spells. This led to the persecution and trials of countless individuals, primarily women, accused of practicing witchcraft. However, as society progressed and enlightenment took hold, the belief in witchcraft began to wane. People started questioning the existence of these magical beings and recognizing that it was nothing more than a product of superstition and ignorance. As a result, laws were put in place to protect individuals accused of witchcraft and to abolish the witch trials.
Belief in witchcraft and supernatural powers is common throughout Ghana, and Africa countries and is often encouraged by pastors who preach in the nation’s many charismatic churches. Supernatural themes and sorcery also feature strongly in Ghanaian and West African films and television programs.
She said that when she refused she was beaten with an old bicycle chain, and later her nephew s family members rubbed Ghanaian pepper sauce into her eyes and open wounds. Another, Agnes Sampson, had confessed that 200 women witnessed the devil preach at North Berwick on Halloween where the king s destruction was plotted.
As a result, laws were put in place to protect individuals accused of witchcraft and to abolish the witch trials. **The abolition of witchcraft trials and the recognition of their fallacy marked a significant turning point in human history.** It reflected a shift towards rationality, evidence-based thinking, and the rejection of baseless beliefs.
Ghana seeks to disband witch camps
The government is working on legislation that would make it illegal to accuse someone of being a witch, with an eye toward gradually closing down the camps and reintegrating women accused of sorcery back into their communities.
Sept. 15, 2011, 7:45 PM UTC / Source : Christian Science Monitor By Clair MacDougalGhanaian leaders and civil society groups met in the nation’s capital, Accra earlier this week to develop a plan to abolish the witches’ camps in the northern region, where over a thousand women and children who have been accused of sorcery are currently living in exile.
Deputy Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs Hajia Hawawu Boya Gariba said the ministry would be doing everything that it could to ensure the practice of families and neighbors banishing women from communities whom they suspected of being witches is abolished by developing legislation that would make it illegal to accuse someone of being a witch and gradually closing down camps and reintegrating women back into their communities.
“This practice has become an indictment on the conscience of our society,” Ms. Gariba said at the conference called Towards Banning “Witches” Camps. “The labeling of some of our kinsmen and women as witches and wizards and banishing them into camps where they live in inhuman and deplorable conditions is a violation of their fundamental human rights.”
Supreme Court Justice Rose Owusu also said that the practice violated numerous clauses in section 5 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution. That section protects human rights and outlaws cultural practices which "dehumanize or are injurious to the physical and mental well-being of a person." Ms. Owusu also called for the development of new legislation to outlaw the camps and the practice.
The witch camps of Ghana's north
There are currently around 1,000 women and 700 children living in 6 of the witches’ camps in Ghana’s northern region.
Many of them are elderly women who have been accused of inflicting death, misfortune, and calamity on their neighbors and villages through sorcery, witchcraft, or "juju," a term used throughout West Africa.
The women enjoy a certain degree of protection within these camps, located some distance from their communities in which they could be tortured, beaten to death, or lynched, but the conditions of the camps are often poor. The "accused witches," as they are sometimes referred to, live in tiny thatched mud huts, and have limited access to food and must fetch water from nearby streams and creeks.
Forced to flee
An elderly woman named Bikamila Bagberi who has lived in Nabule witch camp in Gushegu a district in the Northern Region for the past 13 years, told the story of how she was forced to leave her village. Dressed in a headscarf, faded T-shirt, and cotton skirt, Ms. Bagberi spoke softly with her head bowed as a district assemblyman translated for the conference delegates.
Bagberi’s nephew, her brother-in-law’s son, had died unexpectedly and after the village soothsayer said she caused the death of the child her family tried make her confess to murdering him through sorcery. She said that when she refused she was beaten with an old bicycle chain, and later her nephew’s family members rubbed Ghanaian pepper sauce into her eyes and open wounds.
When asked whether she could return back to her village she said the family couldn’t bring her back into the community because of the fear that she will harm others. Bagberi said she expected to spend the rest of her life in the camp.
Catalyst for action
Human rights groups have been campaigning for the closure of the witches’ camps since the 1990s, but have had little success in abolishing the practice of sending women suspected of witchcraft into exile, in part because of lack of political will and the pervasiveness of the belief in witchcraft throughout Ghana. But the brutal murder of 72-year-old Ama Hemmah in the city of Tema in Novermber of last year, allegedly by six people, among them a Pentecostal pastor and his neighbors who are accused of dousing her with kerosene and setting her alight, caused public outrage and made headlines across the world. Since Hemmah’s death, opinion pieces and articles about the issue have featured in Ghana’s major newspapers, along with feature stores on local news programs.
Emmanuel Anukun-Dabson from Christian Outreach Fellowship, a group working with the accused witches at the Nabule camp and one of the organizers of the conference, suggested that a broader cultural shift needed to take place if the camps were to be abolished.
“In Ghana, we know that when a calamity happens or something befalls a family or a community the question is not what caused it, but rather who caused it?” Anukun-Dabson said. “We are a people who do not take responsibility for our actions; rather we find scapegoats and women are the targets.”
Chief Psychiatrist of Ghana’s Health Services Dr. Akwesi Osei, who spearheaded the conference, argued that a public awareness campaign on psychological disorders, dementia, and the mental and behavioral changes associated with menopause might help the public understand behaviors and perceived eccentricities that are often associated with witchcraft.
Belief in witchcraft and supernatural powers is common throughout Ghana, and Africa countries and is often encouraged by pastors who preach in the nation’s many charismatic churches. Supernatural themes and sorcery also feature strongly in Ghanaian and West African films and television programs.
Deputy Minister Gariba has called for another meeting to develop a more concrete road map and said that the National Disaster Management Organisation would be providing the witches’ camps with water tanks and additional food supplies.
Joojo Eenstua, another organizer of the camp who works with Christian Outreach Fellowship at Nabule, said the conference marked a new era in activism on the issue and believed that significant changes and improvements to the livelihoods of the women and children living in these witches camps would follow.
“There is more public awareness than before and there is more political will and momentum around this issue,” Ms. Eenstua says.
In 1560, Scotland’s parliament had made Protestantism the official religion, and morality was high on the agenda. The government and the Church wanted to enforce godliness among the people. They thought that the whole country would suffer if there were malevolent elements within it that they believed to be in league with the Devil. This is the setting in which the Witchcraft Act came into existence.
It also paved the way for a more tolerant society, where people were not persecuted for their religious or spiritual practices. Today, witchcraft is largely seen as a fictional concept or a subject of interest for enthusiasts of folklore and modern witchcraft traditions. It has become an integral part of popular culture, depicted in books, movies, and television shows as a mystical and often harmless practice. While some individuals still identify themselves as witches or practice witchcraft as a form of spirituality, it is important to note that **witch trials and the persecution of alleged witches are no longer a part of mainstream society**. The legal recognition of witches as individuals with equal rights and protection under the law has contributed to a more inclusive and diverse society. In conclusion, the abolition of witchcraft trials marks an important milestone in human history. It signifies the triumph of reason and tolerance over ignorance and superstition. While the concept of witchcraft may still exist in our imaginations and cultural artifacts, the era of persecuting and punishing individuals accused of being witches is long gone..
Reviews for "Witchcraft Beliefs in Modern Society: Challenges and Persistence"
- Samantha - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with "Witch has been abolished". The storyline felt rushed and underdeveloped, and the characters were one-dimensional. I also found the dialogue to be simplistic and forced. Overall, it just didn't capture my attention or make me care about what was happening. I was looking forward to diving into a world of witches and magic, but this book fell short for me.
- John - 1/5 stars - I did not enjoy "Witch has been abolished" at all. The plot was confusing and hard to follow, and there were so many unnecessary subplots that served no purpose. The writing style was also not to my liking – it felt disjointed and lacking in descriptive detail. I struggled to connect with any of the characters, as they seemed shallow and unrelatable. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating fantasy read.
- Emily - 2/5 stars - Unfortunately, "Witch has been abolished" was a letdown for me. The pacing was off, with the story dragging in some parts and rushing through others. The worldbuilding lacked depth, leaving me feeling disoriented and uninvested in the fantasy realm. The romance subplot felt forced and lacked chemistry between the characters. Overall, I found the book to be mediocre and unmemorable. There are much better fantasy novels out there to spend your time on.