Story By: Abdul-Hakim Zakaria || Sanatu Zambang
Public speaking coach and philanthropist, Ibrahim Mustapha (IM) over last week, extended support to the Gambaga Witches Camp in North-East Region.
This kind gesture is part of the public speaker’s IM Legacy Projects. Through these projects, Ibrahim Mustapha wishes to reach out to deprived persons and communities with the little he has. Mustapha believes it is time for Ghanaians and Africans at large to engage in local resources mobilization for their own development rather than waiting for foreign aid.
He admonishes persons who are in a way better in their communities to give back the little they have to their people. This means, by doing that, we will be bridging the poverty gap and creating resilient communities.
Among the things donated were assorted items including uncooked rice, cooking oil, soap, salt, canned tomatoes, maggie, etc. At the Gambaga camp, these assorted items were distributed to each of the 83 alleged witches and four alleged wizards.
Narrating the genesis, Ibrahim said he had heard about what these people are going through and as someone interested in community development, he promised to reach out to them whenever he is in town. Ibrahim linked up with Songtaba, a local NGO that works with these people, women and other local groups in Northern Ghana.
Through Songtaba, the choice of Gambaga as the place to do the donation was confirmed. The Songtaba team led by Abdul-Kasiru Shani coordinated between the camp and IM Legacy Projects to set the date and time for the donation. During the donation exercise, the IM Legacy Projects team danced and sang with the women.
Some of them poured out their feelings to the team. Among those who spoke with Ibrahim said she can’t even get access to talk to her son. Some shared that they wish God had just taken their lives, but they accept fate for whatever.
While some of them actually engaged in using magic negatively, there are equally some who say they were innocent. Other groups of people there express their regrets for what they did and have turned into a new life. There are notably, four witches camps in the Northern zone after one was closed two years ago.
These four remaining camps; activists, Civil Society Organisations and individuals are calling for their closure as well. Witch camps have been around for a long time since sorcery has a history with African culture. Many sorcerers who go beyond measure, tend to use their magic to harm others and this was how witch camps evolved. Gambaga is currently the oldest camp in the zone.
As a means of punishment, these alleged witches and wizards have cast outskirts where they’ll live for the rest of their lives. As cases like that arise, the alleged witches and wizards living outskirts eventually become a community. Since they are considered to have committed crimes, their state of livelihood is not much of a concern to people.
At the Gambaga Witch camp, it is notable to observe that the housing of the camp is different from the rest of the houses. Houses built at a rather shorter height are known to be where the witches live while normal housing height is for the community. Until recently, people least cared about the alleged witches and wizards. Of late, we see individuals and groups go there to share the love with them and let them feel at home.
To others, just like in prison, these people also have the right to a conducive livelihood. The existence of the camps creates some stigma in the community. At the Gambaga camp, these alleged witches and wizards still go to the farm and worship God as well. They’re under a local traditional chief of Gambaga who supervises the camp and caters for them. There are also volunteers there who work with them and cater to their needs.
