Gnani Travel Guide

 grets Says:  We talked to a couple of the witches (through the interpreter). This lady has been in the village for four years. One of the other ladies in her native village was taken ill, and the husband accused her of being the perpetrator and causing the illness by witchcraft. She... 

 grets Says:  As with all villages we visited, one of the best memories from Gnani was the interaction with the people – especially the children. You don’t need to know the language, or at least not many words. We learn how to say hello in the local language, and this small gesture went a... 

 grets Says:  As I said earlier, we were staying in the grounds of the Catholic Mission by kind permission of Father Josef. In the evening there was a church service, which was well attended by local people. Many of the women from the nearby witches’ village have been converted to... 

 grets Says:  Witches can be men or women (and even children), and although I have been led to believe that there are about 200 men at the village, the vast majority of the witches we saw in Gnani were in fact older women. Not forgetting the most powerful of all the witches in the village... 

 grets Says:  Unfortunately, the age old tradition of witchcraft is being much abused as a way of ‘disposing of’ elderly relative that the family no longer can afford, or wish to, look after. This is especially true of older women who find themselves widowed. Younger members of the... 

 grets Says:  Witchcraft is something that usually happens during a period of your life when you are experiencing problems and you need some extra strength. A few people are born with it, and may not even know that they are possessed by evil spirits. Others are born with the curse through... 

 grets Says:  Witchcraft really does exist in Africa. It is part of everyday life. These quotes from a BBC Forum Board on whether witchcraft is alive, says it all: “These guys exist and one shouldn't underestimate their capabilities. Most influential people in our society visit witches in... 

 grets Says:  560 witches live in Gnani and arrive at the rate of four or five a week. Some come with their families, although most of them are women between the ages of 40 and 70 years. Often the family will return on a regular basis to help feed and care for the witch, other times they... 

 grets Says:  When an alleged witch initially arrives in the village, a ceremony takes place in which a chicken is sacrificed and blood given to the shrine. The bird is thrown towards the ground and the way it lands holds the key to the person’s guilt. Should the hen land on its belly,... 

 grets Says:  As is customary everywhere in rural Ghana, you need to greet the chief and gain permission before entering the village. You cannot speak directly to the chief, so during our very interesting question and answer session, we would ask Noah to ask his translator who would ask... 

 grets Says:  The word fetish is derived from the French fétiche; ("to make"). A fetish (in this context) is (usually) a man-made object believed to have supernatural powers, or power over others. The fetish in Gnani has such strong powers that it can destroy the force in any witches who... 

 grets Says:  The villagers are given some assistance from charity organisations as well as the Church and Father Josef. They keep goats and chickens and grow soya beans and millet – which they keep for future use in these large granary reserves. They are also able to help out other... 

 grets Says:  Not all villages are run as a ‘safe haven’ unfortunately; a couple of them are no more than glorified prison camps. In some of these communities, the women are being sexually and financially abused by the chief, and essentially act as his slave. This practise sadly also...