Why They Won't Leave Us Alone

A few weeks ago, I found a short clip of a BBC Africa video on the trokosi system in Ghana on Instagram. I remember watching documentaries on trokosi since it was common in some parts of the Volta region of Ghana however watching this documentary again in 2018 broke my heart. I assumed that the practice was no more since no one talks about it. Trokosi is practiced in Ghana, Togo and Benin among the Ewe tribe and was made illegal in Ghana in 1998. According to the BBC video, no priest has been prosecuted. Since the practice is tied to religious beliefs, it still goes on today and most girls and women in captivity believe that they will save their families from doom if they served in the shrine. 

Trokosi means wife of the gods. It’s basically when a young girl or woman is taken to a shrine far from home to serve for a number of years or forever based on a crime a family member has committed. For instance, if Adjo’s father committed murder, 7-year-old Adjo will be taken to the shrine to serve. The decision of which girl or woman goes to the shrine is made by a few male members of the family. The people who practice trokosi believe that if this is not done, the family will go through periods of hardships and difficulties. Girls in the shrine are made to work long hours, and they are not allowed to play or go to school. They are isolated from the public. If a girl reaches puberty, she will partake in sexual servitude and bear the children of the priest. In some rare cases, an older woman could be sent to the shrine to serve. Also, some girls are taken to serve in the shrine by other family members without the knowledge of their parents. Since the practice is faith based, it is extremely difficult to make people understand the implications it has on the imprisoned. How do you tell someone what they believe is wrong?

I don’t mean to start off your day on a morbid note however, I am saddened by my complacency. Although I have watched documentaries on trokosi in my early years (yes, I’m that old), it has never crossed my mind to make an attempt to bring awareness on the issue or  try save some girls who are held in captivity (ambitious much). Why? Because I do not want to wake up with three tongues. Growing up in a society of superstitious beliefs, somethings are just left to be, trokosi being one of them. Like my grandma puts it, “the world is too deep to comprehend”.  

This post however is triggered by how annoyed I am with people who constantly bash “white saviorship” forgetting that we have prepared the grounds for white saviorship to breed. In all my years living in Ghana and learning about trokosi, I have heard very little of Ghanaians (me included) trying to change the narrative. It always has to take a white person or a foreigner from the West who watches a documentary about us, to fly down and “save” us from ourselves. So sometimes I ask myself, "What will become of these girls if one John Doe did not fly down to come and do some saving? At what point would we assess the depth of cultural practices and traditions and how damaging they could be? "

I shared my thoughts on my last post, Di Wo Fie Asem on how a woman posted a picture of her carrying a young girl on Instagram and made comments about how the child would probably be married off and not be able to pursue her dreams. Were her comments outrageous? Yes. However, I find it particularly shocking that Africans were so taken aback and appalled. We are constantly creating breeding grounds for people particularly in the West to find purpose in their lives by coming to different parts of the continent to deliver and save because we refuse to do it ourselves for reasons best known to us. This is why they won't leave us alone. It is always the poorest people in our societies that suffer the most and the rest of us who are better off usually turn a blind eye. 

So next time you’re wondering why your white counterparts are constantly volunteering in your continent and making demeaning comments while at it, think about a few things. What are you doing to help your society? Have you turned a blind eye to your own kind? If you don’t want to help, why criticize someone who can? I am ashamed that as a Ghanaian, although I have a voice, I cannot move past my fear to address issues like this but rather I wait for a foreigner to speak up so I can tag along. I strive to do better not only as a Ghanaian but as a human being.

As usual, comments and questions are always welcome! Please share your thoughts :)

**The movie, “Like Cotton Twines” on Netflix gives some visual representation of the trokosi system.