A woman has unveiled a heart-wrenching tale of how she ended up at the Kukuo witch camp.
In a candid revelation, the woman disclosed that her agonising journey to the camp was triggered by none other than her own son-in-law, who accused her of practicing witchcraft.
“My brother-in-law’s son saw me in his dreams. I was accused of stalking the boy using witchcraft and I was sent out of my community,” she recalled.
The witchcraft accusations phenomenon is a deeply entrenched belief system in some societies in Ghana.
These beliefs perpetuate a cycle of fear, discrimination, and social exclusion for its victims.
How the Fetish Priest confirms the ‘witch’s’ status
At Kokuo, it is believed that the main aim of a witch is to kill her fellow humans.
So to verify if one is indeed a witch, the accused is taken to a shrine, where some rituals are performed using the blood of a fowl. The ghost of the deceased is summoned, where it is requested to take justice if there is unfair play.
“We have a shrine here. When they come, we have a traditional way to do it.
We send them to that place with a fowl, and from there, we just mix some other things. We believe that spiritually, they have killed their fellow human beings.
Mostly, when they come, we send the fowl along. When we get there, we slaughter the fowl. Before slaughtering the fowl, the woman will tell the ghost that I am pure and clean, what they said I have done. I have nothing to do with it. She will make a promise to the ghost that if what they accuse me of is really my fault, the ghost should deal with me directly,” a man believed to be the apprentice of a fetish priest said.
After this, the accused is made to drink the potion.
“So then we slaughter the fowl, take a little blood from the fowl, mix it with water and give it to the woman to drink.
Later, the chief priest will then talk to the ghost that whenever the woman tries to do certain things, the ghost should deal with the woman.”
Following the ritual, the accused is then asked whether she would prefer to stay at the camp or return to her community.
Due to the threat to their lives, most of the accused decide to stay at the camp.
“After performing the ritual, the woman would be asked if she is willing to stay or go back to her previous location, majority of them stay here. Because going back to the community may cause mayhem.”
In Ghana, the activities of witch doctors are illegal.
On July 27, 2023, Parliament amended the Criminal Offences Act 1960, Act 29, thereby criminalising the declaration, accusation, naming or labelling of another person as a witch in Ghana.
This prohibits any person from practicing as a witch doctor or witchfinder.
In 2020, 90-year-old Madam Akua Denteh was lynched in the Savanah region after she was accused of being a witch.
In a viral video, the deceased was slapped, kicked, and caned at Kafaba near Salaga in the East Gonja Municipality.
Six people were later arrested, including the Kafaba Chief, Zackaria Yahaya for their roles in the gruesome killing.
Many Ghanaians, including President Akufo-Addo condemned the killing.
Three Members of Parliament in 2021 then introduced the Private Members’ Bill aiming to amend the Criminal and Other Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) to prohibit the practices of witch doctors and witchfinders.
The bill’s sponsors were Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu, representing Madina constituency, Hajia Laadi Ayii Ayamba, representing Pusiga constituency, and Dr. Godfred Seidu Jasaw, representing Wa East constituency.
Per report, the president has assented to the amended bill.