Superstitions

Blog By: Harry Parfitt

Textbooks and exams in Ghana seem relatively similar to those in the UK. The math questions include the same range of dull algebra, and devilish geometry. Geography requires knowledge of rainforests, rocks, and regional capitals, all of which is as you might expect. Other questions in a mock test paper my host brother was going through, one might not expect. What is superstition? Ok, no problem, it is an irrational belief. Why do superstitions exist? Well, they arise because of tradition, old stories and a need to explain the seemingly unexplainable. All this my bro Sule agreed with wholeheartedly. All good then; perfectly rational answers to what seemed like slightly random questions… in my opinion. Another question focused on which bodies or individuals were responsible for enforcing the law. The answer, so Sule informed me, was the Chief. This I found unlikely. Surely the Chief is not responsible for upholding the law? Certainly he is powerful and important, but he has no legal authority? To this Sule explained that in the case of a witch being identified, it was the chief who would be responsible for banishing her.

Right…

“So, do you believe witches exist?”

“One hundred percent yes.”

“But that’s just superstition isn’t it?”

“Yes, but I believe it.”

The contradiction seemed to have passed him by. He had explained only 2 minutes earlier that superstitions were irrational beliefs, which have no place in modern Ghana, and yet he confesses to hold just such beliefs. I struggled to comprehend this, but the full impact of this only hit me the next day, when, whilst writing about Sule’s ‘confession’, I asked my fellow volunteers, who mostly come from Tamale, Northern Region, Ghana whether witches were real. All answered emphatically: “Yes.” To clarify, all have at least the Ghanaian equivalent of college education, and most have attended University. These are not members of the rural illiterate, amongst whom one may expect superstition to be rife, but are well educated and intelligent Ghanaians… it was then that I understood how deep rooted such beliefs were in Ghanaian culture. Despite years of influence on Ghana by the Global North, I began to see that some pre-colonial traditions were very much alive.

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I am in Ghana working with women’s income generating groups (IGGs) in exceptionally rural communities, and this work, with the Non Formal Education Division (NFED) of the Ministry of Education, has heightened my awareness of just how little some people in Tolon district are living on each week. Those in the most rural communities we have visited have no access to electricity and have to walk upwards of a mile in searing heat (38°+) to collect visibly dirty drinking water. To be clear the superstitious beliefs that I have encountered in Tolon are not limited to witches. The illuminati, devil and, of course, witches (who can be male, I was pleasantly surprised to learn), can be blamed for everything from car crashes to harvest failures. What the impact of this is, I cannot really assess. That a question on superstition was even in Sule’s paper demonstrates how established such traditional beliefs are in mainstream Ghana. Belief in the supernatural may be very traditional but it is a belief held by many living in modern Ghana, for most this confidence in beings and instances that I would never have seriously considered go beyond mere tradition, and have many religious and spiritual root also. Nonetheless, I would like to hope that our work with NFED makes a tiny indent into the effect of superstition on the profitability of the income generating groups we are supporting.

As the first ICS cohort working in Tolon District, we have been undertaking research into the current practices of the IGGs, and have drawn close parallels between the cause of key problems affecting the group and the permeating superstition in Ghanaian society. Instances such as bad harvests or a lack of rainfall, can be seen as a punishment for the actions of few as opposed to a consequence of soil erosion and deforestation. Another key obstacle to the progress of the group is that many members are not aware that they regularly fail to make any profit. Due largely to the combination of the extended period of time between purchasing raw materials and selling the finished goods and a lack of financial records. The majority of IGG members do not have a formal education, the negative effects of which are being combated by NFED – who provide literacy training in Dagbani (the local language) and a small amount of numeracy.

That is not to say that the members of our income generating groups do not understand the concept of soil erosion or the idea that there are factors beyond the control of Wayamba community for instance, that lead to reduced rainfall and therefore a shortage of drinking water. Only that these traditional, cultural and spiritual beliefs held by the community in the 21^st century are playing a larger role in answering the questions “Why can’t I grow more maize” more so than I ever would have expected before arriving in Ghana. Nor is it assumed that the people we are working with do not understand the core issues facing them and their children, on the contrary; lack of education, access to clean water and electricity and the damaging aftereffects are often citied.

However, as the innocence towards the unprofitability of their businesses demonstrates, some members of the IGGs are yet to fully grasp the root causes behind their problems, and without this, people cannot hope to find solutions. What we are here to do as volunteers is to support NFED in providing training to the group in order to help them find for themselves, the factors which prevent them from generating profit, thereby helping them  to discover solutions for their problems. The skills NFED are yet to train them in are; basic book keeping, simple math, and problem solving – to name a few – though these sessions will be focused on business, they’re also applicable to life generally.

I wonder however, after the ICS-NFED partnership is concluded at the end of 2017, if I were to come back to Tolon district and visit some of the members of the Income Generating Groups… will they have left the superstitions behind? Or will these traditional beliefs and cultural ideas still have a place in their world?