The Prospects And Constraints Of Reintegrating Accused Witches In Mainstream Society: The Case Of Tindang And Gambaga Witches' Camps

ABSTRACT

Belief in witchcraft is a world wide phenomenon. In Africa, its occurrence is almost universal. Although in some societies this belief plays a very minor role in the daily lives of the people, in most it is no exaggeration to say that one cannot gain any fundamental grasp of the attitude which people have towards one another nor can one understand many aspects of their ideas regarding good, evil and causation and their associated beliefs without understanding their belief in witchcraft. There are four established witches' camps in northern Ghana: Gambaga witches' camp in Mamprusi, Kpatinga camp located in north of Vendi, Kukuo camp in the south ofYendi and TindanglGnani in the east ofYendi (Waibel, 2001). However, due to time and financial constraint the study was limited to two witches' camps, Tindang and Gambaga witches' camps. This study is a follow up to an earlier study the researcher undertook for her bachelors' degree (lddrisu, 2002).The objective of the first study was to determine whether witchcraft is a naturally occurring phenomenon or a product of social interaction and inter-relationships. In the present study, however, the researcher examines the prospects and constraints in reintegrating accused witches in the Tindang and Gambaga witches' camps into mainstream community life. To achieve this objective, the researcher surveyed not only the two camps, but also conducted interviews with members of two communities near the camps. She also conducted in-depth interview with the staff of some institutions working with the camps, traditional leaders, District Assembly officials and selected key informants.