A lecturer with the University of Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College Department of Journalism and Media Studies Mr. Joshua Philip Ayodele Nicol has expressed shock after hearing about the Gambaga witches camp which is located in the North East Region of Ghana.
Women, mostly widows accused of being alleged witches in the northern parts of Ghana are normally sent away far from their original communities to a designated area in the Gambaga a community in the North East Region, an action most human rights activists have described as torture against their human rights.
The treatment of these aged women has not given Ghana as a country any good image on the international front whenever is brought as an issue for discussion.
Meanwhile, the University Lecturer during an engagement with Apexnewsgh.com told Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen that he is shocked that such action against humanity is going on in Ghana because of people’s imagination and perception.
“In this 21st century, Ghana that led the light for African independence still dwell in such primitive behavior and thinking, banishing people to communities, creating colonies for people whom they perceive to be different from the rest of the population. I think such should not exist. Those camps of witches should be closed and the women should be rehabilitated and reintegrated into Ghanaian society again”. He said
“We recognized or realized that in Africa or West Africa for that matter we all go through the same socio-cultural problems or challenges that each of every country faces and we are more similar than different in terms of the socio-cultural challenges we face”.
Asking about the role of government and what he expects the government of Ghana to do as a way of abolishing such acts against the alleged witches, Mr. Nicol said: “I think, the government should have the courage and intervene, take affirmative action, educate the people to let them know that all those things are fantasies. Because you dreamed about your neighbors the next morning you tagged your neighbor a witch and all of your neighbors and yourself will be cut off from the community. They need more civic education and public education”. He stressed
He also blames some of the churches and some other religious bodies for putting some of the old ladies in such conditions by way of labeling them as witches.
“Some of these churches too, also caused stereotypes especially the Pentecostal pastors also like declaring some people as witches and what have you, especially mothers-in-laws, widows, and old people that is what they do” He lamented.
Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana
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