Abstract
Media accounts and research have highlighted the plight of accused witches in Ghana, but the genuine fears that motivate witchcraft accusations are rarely addressed.
Approaching witchcraft as a social reality rather than superstition, this ethnographic study traces how diverse actors—family heads, traditional priests, Christian prophets, NGOs,
and state institutions—manage witchcraft suspicions before they escalate to violence or banishment. I explore how these approaches are changing and suggest that they are
effective as far as they adequately address witchcraft fears.
Based on data collected from extended fieldwork in Northern Ghana, this thesis explores how different worldviews shape the approaches to managing witchcraft-related disputes. The study contrasts the secular approaches of the state and NGOs with those of traditional ritual specialists and other religious actors who take witchcraft seriously. Indigenous worldviews shape the understanding of ordinary Ghanaians and local spiritual experts. This shared understanding influences their strategies and techniques for dealing with witchcraft-related conflicts. On the other hand, NGOs and the state take a rational legal approach that dismisses the concerns of rural people who dread witches.
I argue that whether one believes in the supernatural force of witchcraft and witch-finding shrines or accepts human rights and modern justice, these are systems influenced by different worldviews. The shared spiritually oriented views by ordinary Ghanaians, traditional authorities, and the rational-legal/human rights-oriented perspectives of modern institutions highly contradict and sometimes frustrate each other in the management of witchcraft-related conflicts in Ghana. The processes of modern institutions do not work effectively in practice because people rarely send concerns about witchcraft to the police or courts, for instance. NGOs also only have an impact when they collaborate effectively with indigenous structures.