Witch camps in Ghana — how women who have become victims of superstition live

Even in the 21st century, there are places on our planet that have been forgotten by civilization. These include Ghana, a country in West Africa, on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Most of the citizens of this state do not know how to read and write, but they believe in witchcraft and black magic. At the same time, superstitions so possess the minds of Ghanaians that they see the machinations of witches everywhere. That is why in a completely non-paradise corner of Africa there is such a terrible and shameful phenomenon as witch camps.

The fate of women living in the villages of Ghana is unenviable. Each of them can be called a witch at any time and put outside the law. The reason for such an accusation can be anything from the death of a neighbor's cow to bad weather. And it also happens that it is enough for a woman to look the wrong way so that she is beaten with sticks and stones and left to die in the middle of the street.

In one of the issues of the American magazine Newsweek published the story of a "witch". The woman's nephew pricked his finger with a rusty needle and inflammation began. This happened in the absence of the heroine of the story, but nothing prevented her from being blamed for this problem. The boy's father, the woman's brother, severely beat her and kicked her out of the house. This is not an isolated case at all — this happens in the villages of Ghana every day and sometimes ends in murder.

Women accused of witchcraft have no choice but to live in exile. They go to witch camps—villages located in the savannah, far from villages. These camps have nothing to do with the state. They appear by themselves and their inhabitants survive as best they can. For some reason, it is believed that magic does not work on the territory of such camps, so women can not be afraid of attacks.

There are 1,000 exiles living in one of the witch camps. The only person who cares about them is the local shaman Nwini Binamba. His patronage is not free. Each resident of the camp pays Nwini 60 Ghanaian sedis (1000 rubles).

The price of a residence permit by the standards of a poor country is considerable, but the "witches" have no choice. After payment, they undergo a special purification ritual and drink a tincture of herbs with the addition of bird blood. After that, the new settler is considered free from accusations of witchcraft, although she cannot return home.

There are absolutely no amenities in the witch camps. Their inhabitants do not know what sewerage, water supply and electricity are. Nevertheless, they are happy with everything, as they can no longer fear for their lives. It is believed that such settlements in Ghana has six, but most likely there are many more. In addition, there are similar camps for women in neighboring countries Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo.

By the way, you don't need to live in Ghana to become a victim of witch hunters. Murders due to accusations of witchcraft often occur in Of Russia.