chapter 21: witchcraft, black magic and the law

ghana is a very superstitious land. religions familiar to westerners abound, with a side order of zealotry here and there. but i've been consistently fascinated with the indigenous beliefs that hold tremendous influence here, like black magic, wizardry and witchcraft.

to me, it always seems like their version of the boogeyman. as a child i was told "go to bed, or the boogeyman will get you!" of course, i eventually realized it was just a scare story, designed to get kids to obey.

but ghanaians never seem to reach that stage.

most people still believe there are some people who can communicate with spirits, perform curses, perform voodoo or juju, even enlist spirits to exact revenge on those who have wronged them.

"you will see what will happen" is the ominous threat that spiritual payback is coming.

there was a hilarious example of how traditional beliefs can collide with modern life during a legal seminar at luv fm yesterday. a few shows on the local language station, nhyira fm, specialize in stories about the supernatural. the company lawyer was warning presenters not to use names when a guest is accusing someone of witchcraft or wizardry. in some parts, such an accusation can lead to serious consequences; ostracism, banishment to witch camps, or even deadly mob action. there have been lawsuits. said the exasperated lawman: "how can i prove she is a witch in court? she will deny it!"

i was the only one laughing. this is a weighty legal issue in ghana, and british common law is not equipped to deal with it.

Fetish Priest Nana Kwaku Bonsam.

fetish priests are sort of a catch-all for traditional spiritual beliefs. i've been wanting to see one in action for a long time, and yesterday i finally got the chance. i returned to the station after a story assignment to find a fetish priest giving a demonstration. he was clothed in traditional white cloth, muttering incantations, supposedly turning leaves into money. as far as i could tell, he was simply pulling money out of a covered basket. everyone was watching in amazement. i have to admit, i was underwhelmed.

but then he did something a little more dramatic. he took a knife, and started slashing his arms, stomach and even his eyes. no blood spewed, and not a mark appeared. then he took a tree branch and easily cut through it with the knife.

hmmmm...

later i saw his assistant putting the leaves-into-money basket away. the top slipped a bit, and not surprisingly, i saw both leaves and money inside. much to the annoyance of my colleagues, who expected me to abandon my stubbornly rational disbelief, i now believe these individuals are not practising black magic, but are simply accomplished illusionists.

but i'm warning you all right now: don't cross me!

"you will see what will happen!"

chapter 20: feelin' fine

i have been slightly neglectful of the blog lately, n0t because i've been particularly busy, but because life has assumed a strange, unlooked-for peace.

six months in, with my time here now flying towards "the end", life almost seems normal.

not to say i've come to love bucket showers, water scarcity, burning garbage piles, poverty and all the other challenges here. it's just become a part of life. i'm more or less comfortable with the routine, having finally aquired the wherewithal to forge a normal routine in this environment that seemed chaotic at first.

i walk down the streets, hardly noticing the myriad and sometimes bizarre things being hawked by the roadside. i smile at those who greet my in the typical way, although most of them recognize me by now.

i stop by the european market to pick up mangoes, pineapples, oranges apples...all costing the equivalent of a few dollars! fruit guy is always happy to see me. those few dollars are important to him, and to me it's a ridiculous bargain. take that, safeway!

i eat rice at a food stand while talking to my friend who sells used clothing in the business district. i've never bought anything from him, but he's always happy to chat for a few minutes.

i feel like the king of kensington, minus the baldness, and replacing the cheesy soundtrack with a funky hip life beat.

there's gotta be a tv show in there somewhere.

chapter 19: sex and chocolate

ghana is a strange place when it comes to sex and sexuality. people are embarassed to talk about it much, but they do it alot.

case in point, masturbation. i know, it sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it's not. a radio presenter at love asked me what i thought about masturbation. i said i figured everyone had done it at some point in their lives. so we asked some other people, and nobody would admit it in person. but almost everyone admitted it on the radio, having had the chance to conceal their identities.

there's also a huge variety of herbal potions to enhance sexual pleasure, often being sold by street hawkers who can't even read the labels. if they happen to be in english. i remember when tristin visited, someone tried to sell her a little bottle of 'sex juice'. it had a picture of a couple having sex. and that was really all the information to be gleaned from the bottle.

women are especially frowned upon if they admit to having had muliple sexual partners. it's gotten so bad that they've resorted to an herbal potion that changes their organ, and makes men think they're virgins. oh yeah...the potion causes cervical cancer and hiv.

it reminds me of bon jovi. "your love is like baaad medicine..." really, really bad medicine.

on a lighter, sex-related note, ghana chocolate is good. pure cocoa, very few chemicals. cadbury will never taste the same.

now that's orgasmic!