In Ghana, a hundred people attended a candlelight vigil on Saturday July 23 to protest against the murder of a 90-year-old woman, murdered two years ago to the day. Akua Denteh was accused by a priest of being a witch. An angry mob unleashed by these rumors chased and lynched her. A news item symbol of this violence against which associations are trying to fight.
A solemn march through the streets of Accra in song, to pay homage to Akua Denteh. Men and women dressed in red demand an end to a tradition with dramatic consequences.
“ Akwa Denteh was lynched on suspicion of being a witch, she later died. His death is not an isolated case, the witch hunt is practiced everywhere, not only in the north of the country. It may be a pastor or a member of your family who accuses you. It’s a long-standing practice and it’s time for it to stop. argues Margaret Brew-Ward, advocacy officer at the NGO Action Aid Ghana.
In Ghana, one word is enough to change a woman’s life. Illness, death, nightmare… quickly these accused women are driven out of their community and find refuge in camps.
In 2019, the Ghanaian Parliament introduced a Witchcraft Consequences Bill. “What this bill seeks to do is criminalize accusations of witchcraft, and make it an offense to call someone a witch. If we are able to do that then it will drastically reduce the abuse of these women,” said Margaret Brew-Ward.
Ghana has around 500 suspected witches. The authorities plan to close the four camps in the country, but the associations are asking for guarantees to prevent these women from suffering violence on their return to their communities.
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