Here in Ghana I am taking a class entitled "Documenting the African City". With the assistance of this class, I will be producing my own documentary, with a classmate of mine, on the Accra Hearts of Oak soccer team. Prior to starting production, the documentary class has been focusing on looking at other works and learning how to use NYU's video equipment and editing software.
This past week NYU took part in the 6th Annual Real Life Documentary Festival in Accra. As a sponsor, we were able to attend any of the films and panel discussions that fit into our schedule. I chose to attend a screening of a documentary entitled "The Witches of Gambaga" by Yaba Badoe. While at church, on my home stay, the preacher talked a great deal about witchcraft and this heightened my curiosity about the subject.
"This is the extraordinary story of a community of women condemned to live as witches in Northern Ghana. Made over the course of 5 years, this disturbing expose is the product of a collaboration between members of the 100 strong community of "witches" and women's movement activists determined to end abusive practices and improve women's lives in Africa. Painful experience and insight come together to create an intimate portrait of the lives of women ostracized by their communities. Told largely by the women themselves, their incredible stories and struggles are conveyed to a wide range of audiences by the director's narration"
The story is truly remarkable. It is crazy to think that this is going on in a country that I now live in, or that this kind of stuff takes place around the world. I heard in the news several weeks ago that they may be closing this very camp focused on in this film. I wonder what the fate will be for many of these women who find shelter in such "witch" camps. The government searches for ways to deal with such camps, and such beliefs that have become so intertwined in Ghanian culture. They seem to be struggling, as closing down camps like these is not a very well thought out solution.
As an American it was difficult for me to understand why so many Ghanaians believe in witchcraft, but as the director pointed out in our panel discussion, the idea of witchcraft is just as unrealistic as many of the ideas that Christianity, or any other religion is built off of.
On second thought, I was reminded that even the US had a fear of witches at one time, recalling the Salem Witch Trials. In fact, two very distant cousins of mine (sisters) were burned at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692.
The story is truly remarkable. It is crazy to think that this is going on in a country that I now live in, or that this kind of stuff takes place around the world. I heard in the news several weeks ago that they may be closing this very camp focused on in this film. I wonder what the fate will be for many of these women who find shelter in such "witch" camps. The government searches for ways to deal with such camps, and such beliefs that have become so intertwined in Ghanian culture. They seem to be struggling, as closing down camps like these is not a very well thought out solution.
As an American it was difficult for me to understand why so many Ghanaians believe in witchcraft, but as the director pointed out in our panel discussion, the idea of witchcraft is just as unrealistic as many of the ideas that Christianity, or any other religion is built off of.
On second thought, I was reminded that even the US had a fear of witches at one time, recalling the Salem Witch Trials. In fact, two very distant cousins of mine (sisters) were burned at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692.
You can visit the Documentaries website: http://www.witchesofgambaga.com/
Or you can view the trailer above!
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