Public Story
The Witch Village
In rural parts of West Africa, witchcraft remains a firm belief. When unexpected deaths in the family or community occurs, the blame is often put on someone expected to be a witch, usually a female relative of the deceased. The women are often lynched or expelled from the community.
The luckiest ones make it to a witchcamp where they are allowed to live free from persecution, in return for their labour. Sentenced to a life in solitude, many women commit suicide following the sorrow of being excluded from their family and community.
This witchcamp in Northern Ghana has been a refuge for accused witches from Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria for over 200 years.
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