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Image
source: citi newsroom |
Culture has
always been the backbone of each indigenous African community. Typically, a
country like Ghana’s rich culture promotes historical heritage and builds a
sense of togetherness. Never can we withstand the role cultural practices have
played in instilling good morals in its people. However, a couple of such
cultural practices practiced in some countries, especially Ghana, have some
repercussions that, when not reconsidered or totally abolished, pose more harm
than the good they might have been intended to deliver when they were
developed.
In this
article, we are going to look at some of these outmoded practices, especially
against women, and why they should be abolished as we work towards United
Nations Social Development Goal (SDG) number 5: gender equality.
Before we
proceed, I would like to mention that such traditions were laid down long ago
by people who were illiterate, uncivilized, and ignorant; hence, these
traditions do not tally in any way with the doings of the modern world. It is,
however, pathetic that, in spite of the current level of education and
sensitization, some families especially in rural communities are not ready to
let go of such inhuman acts. Outlined below are some of these cultural
practices and their impacts on the victims.
Widowhood
rites
Aside from
the grief of losing a partner, women who have lost their spouse are subjected
to widowhood rites. Though the activities involved in the process may vary for
different communities, some of the most common practices demand that the widow
alone sleep in the same room (or on the same bed) with the deceased for a
night. Hair shaving, ritual bathing, confinement for a number of days, and
walking on the street with a tag are also included. In addition, the widow is
forced to marry the brother of the deceased, as if she were an asset to be
inherited. A woman who has lost her husband and is mourning and is supposed to
be consoled or comforted in such times of distress and anguish is made to go
through all this humiliation, stigmatization, and dejection in the name of
tradition. By the end of this activity, the widow’s physical, emotional, and
mental health are destroyed.
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| Widows hair being shaved in the process of widowhood rites photo credit: Sunny Igboanugo |
Early
Marriage
Early
marriage is a situation where a girl of tender age is given out to marry even
before puberty. This practice is usually done by parents who are poor and
cannot afford the responsibility of taking care of their child, such as
education, provision of personal needs, and even feeding themselves. As a means
of rescuing the family from hardship, the parents of the girl child will
arrange and make negotiations with a man who is mostly old enough to be the
grandfather of the child in exchange for money, food, or assets like farmland
without seeking the consent of the child. The practice entirely robs the child
of her basic rights, like the right to education and the freedom to choose who
she wants to spend the rest of her life with. Not withholding the health
implications of a child sleeping with and serving as a wife to such an aged
man, as well as the possible risks of childbirth. Finally, it overburdens the
premature wife and mother with domestic chores, which can be detrimental to her
wellbeing.
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| Married girl child. Image source: newsghana.com.gh |
Female
genital mutilation
Just as a
male child is circumcised almost everywhere on the globe, ancient traditional
leaders thought it wise to carry out the same activity on a female child. Let’s
see their reason for this and tell if they were truly wise or otherwise. The
female circumcision involves the removal of the genitals (clitoris) of the girl
child. Take note: here, the genitals are removed, unlike in the case of the
male c
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Trokosi
system
The Trokosi
system is commonly practiced by the people of the Volta region in Ghana.
According to the tradition, a virgin girl child of a parent who has committed a
heinous act is forcefully captured and sent to serve in a shrine as an
atonement for the sin committed by her parent. When this happens, the girl
child becomes a slave to the supposed gods and fetish priest entirely. Most
often, as the girl serves at the shrine, the fetish priest takes advantage and
has sexual intercourse to his satisfaction. The girl child wallows in such
imprisonment for so many years due to a crime committed by her parents.
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Image
source: Indieactivity.com |
Witch Camp
While most
people continue to pray for long life and see old age as a blessing, a school
of thought has it that women of old age are witches and must not be part of
their community. This led to the establishment of the "witches camp",
which existed several decades ago and is still in existence. Often, women who
are of old age and accused of witchcraft are tagged as witches and are
abandoned or sometimes severely molested by the community and their families.
Such women, in search of safety, flee to the witch camp, which is a settlement
specially designated for them, and are restricted from entering their
community. This act is commonly found in the northern region of Ghana, where
there are not less than six witch camps: Gambaga, Gnani, Bonyasi, Kukuo, Naabuli,
and Kpatinga. Sad enough, Ghana is currently one of the last countries in the
world with witches’ camps.
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Old women
accused of witchcraft abandoned to live in the witch camp Image
source: SONGTABA |
A careful
look at the aforementioned cultural practices proves that women, though they
are human too, do not have the right of expression when it comes to making
choices as far as culture is concerned. This is cruel and insensitive towards
gender; hence, it must be curbed. We do not have to settle for a culture that extremely violates the human
right and health of others . We definitely cannot throw our culture away in the
quest for modernization. However, we can amend our culture to make it a better
one that its people will love and cherish. Though some of these practices have
been abolished in some communities, we haven’t attained the goal of completely
eradicating them yet. This means there is more work to be done to grant young
girls and women freedom from cruel cultural practices. It is never a crime to
be a woman, nor is it a crime to be an African; hence, it is not a crime to be
an African woman.
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