December 23, 2021

Once again, we loaded the vans and headed out, but only after we figured out how to transport all of these artistically handcrafted baskets we had purchased back to Accra! 

The first leg of our day journey was a two-hour drive to the Gambaga Escarpment. During this drive we saw vast, remote open landscapes with even more primitive villages than we had seen the day before. I loved seeing women carrying-on their daily work.

The escarp forms the elevated northern boundary of the Volta river basin. Because of the 1,000 -1,500 feet elevation the climate is relatively cool and moist—for Africa. We were told that elephants by the hundreds once lived and roamed freely in this area. Even today, it is not too unusual for the villagers to see one down by the river. 

The plan was for the hikers in the group to climb down the sandstone cliffs to a fishing village across the valley floor by the white Volta. Dale, of course, joined the hikers who scrambled over the steep rocky slope. Those of us who stayed behind followed their progress through field binoculars. As we watched and waited, we notice two other heads popping up the steep trail. It was a woman and her husband carrying their daily fish supply. We were all amazed to see them wearing flip flops, balancing a fully loaded bowl atop their head while climbing the same route our hikers had just gone down in hiking shoes, gloves, backpacks and hats for sun protection. We learned that the couple walks from the Gambaga village down to the village by the river every day for their supply of fish to sell at the local market.

 Our second stop was to drive back to the village, then down another dirt road to the witches camp. This was facinating! Many Ghanaians, like many Africans, genuinely fear witches, women who are said to cause all kinds of calamities and misfortunes, from infertility to impotence, drought to death. Suspicion and jealousy fuel the accusations, which are often supported by nothing more concrete than a dream. Convicted of witchcraft using a traditional chicken sacrifice, (kill the chicken, if it lands on its back the woman is guilty) the women are banished from their villages for their own protection. In the camps they fend for themselves and sometimes their children, staying close to the safety of its borders to avoid being killed. Despite education campaigns carried out in the 1990s, the belief in witchcraft has grown stronger. There are more than 3,000 women living at six camps dotted throughout northern Ghana.

When we drove up the children immediately gathered around with their hands out for treats, singing and games. They were excited by the white visitors with candy. As I walked back to the van by myself, I noticed a group of young teens following me. Being teens they didn’t want to be part of the little kid group, but they didn’t want to be left out of the fun. When I learned their ages to be 11 to 13. I showed them pictures of my granddaughters that age. They were shocked and amazed at the platinum blonde hair and white faces. 

The little lady (a witch) below was threshing millet. All of the life sustaining needs in this camp are done by hand. Being witches, the women need to stay close where they can be protected by the NGO that runs the camp. A woman working alone in the fields had been killed the previous week.