Witch camp

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A witch camp is a settlement where women suspected of being witches can flee for safety, usually in order to avoid being lynched by neighbours.[1] Witch camps exist solely in Ghana, where there are six of them, housing a total of around 1000 women.[1] Some of the camps are thought to have been set up over 100 years ago.[1]

Many women in such camps are widows and it is thought that relatives accused them of witchcraft in order to take control of their husbands' possessions.[1] Many women also are mentally ill, a little understood problem in Ghana.[1] In one camp in Gambaga, the women are given protection by the local chieftain and in return, pay him and work in his fields.[2]

The Ghanaian government has announced that it intends to close the camps and educate the population regarding the fact that witches do not exist.[1]

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Ghana witch camps: Widows' lives in exile". BBC. Retrieved September 01, 2012. 
  2. ↑ "Ghana: the Witches of Gambaga". Yaba Badoe. Retrieved September 01, 2012. 


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