Witches in Exile

In Northern Ghana, witch-hunts are still taking place. Drought, sickness or the death of a family member are seen as sufficient proof that a woman is involved in witchcraft. She is then either stoned to death or forced into exile in one of the several “witches’ villages” scattered throughout the country. Quite often the woman is accused by her own husband in an attempt to get rid of his wife, for example because she can no longer have children. Witches in Exile follows the daily struggle of four women trying to survive in the Kukuo Witches Camp where they live in extreme poverty and isolation, far away from their family clans. Government agencies have been attempting for a while now to abolish this age-old tradition but the country is desperately caught between its deeply-rooted beliefs (from university professors to farmers, the belief in witchcraft goes through all social classes), and its drive toward modernisation. As miserable as their lives can be, the women in the camps are not necessarily willing to leave. Not only do they fear for their safety as many women who have returned to their families were lynched. But also surprisingly, for some women the camp is a kind of sanctuary where they can stay within a female community in relative freedom. (DOK.fest München)