THE DARK SIDE OF TRADITION: A LOOK AT THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF FETISH PRIESTS.

 

Traditional Religion, also derogatively known as Fetish has been with Africa for ages, long before the advent of the Europeans in Africa. It plays deep-rooted roles in communities with its positives, including cultural identity and promotion of unity.

The influence of the Fetish waned under the onslaught of Christianity and the Western modernity it fueled in the early 19th century, but it never went out of vogue completely and incredibly, its negative sides with Fetish Priests as the main protagonists are causing mayhem.

Fetish Priests are basically spiritual intermediaries who operate out of shrines and are believed to communicate with the gods or spirits.
Despite their historical and cultural significance, some Fetish Priests have gained notoriety for human rights abuses, exploitation and erosion of justice in Ghanaian Society.

The failed political promises, which have resulted in a perpetual economic crunch and under development, aligned with a lack of jobs, have made growing desperation the order of the day, making some people increasingly turn to Fetish Priests for solutions to their problems.

Many unfortunately fail to get relief but rather end up with grotesque challenges and even death.

With the rise of economic hardship, especially since the COVID-19 Pandemic, many Fetish Priests have turned their Shrines into dens of deceit, promising wealth, miracles, healing, and spiritual protection in exchange for large sums of money, livestock, parcels of land, vehicles and other valuables.

The Fetish Priests end up disappointing them, leaving them worse off and financially devastated while the priests thrive, growing richer by the day.

In this era of the Internet and Social Media, Fetish Priests empower young people spiritually through bizarre rituals purposely for Internet fraud known locally in Ghana as “Sakawa”. These misguided men defraud unsuspecting individuals all over the world, leaving some bankrupt and devastated.

Fetish Priests are also the lead perpetrators who have been judged guilty in the Trokosi System in the Volta Region of Ghana, under which young virgin girls are kept under perpetual servitude, denied education, and sexually abused amid other atrocities for crimes committed by members of their family. Although Trokosi has been outlawed it still happens secretly in the rural reaches of the Volta Region.

Child Trafficking and Ritual Killings are another area Fetish Priests have been involved in. There are spine-tingling reports of abduction and killing of both children and adults in the name of rituals for power and wealth.

The all-important arena of law and order has not been spared the negative influence of Fetish Priests. Some shrines rival the legal system.

People seek redress at shrines instead of the Courts or report cases to the Shrine rather than the Police. Ultimately this results in arbitrary punishment, concealment of crimes and the gradual erosion of the formal rule of law.

Politicians and Police Officers who are very instrumental in a democratic dispensation have not escaped the clutches of Fetish Priests. Many have been compromised by their dealings with these Spiritualists and, therefore, cannot effectively fight their excesses.

Many Politicians seek support for their political careers from Shrines and sometimes indulge in alleged practices they cannot have the public know about and so do their utmost to steer clear of any stand -with a Fetish Priest.

The Police are also in a similar situation, often using the difficulty in proving spiritual matters in Court as an excuse to do nothing about Fetish Priests who have fallen foul of the law.

Another example of the negative but powerful influence of Fetish Priest is playing out in the debate over the Proposed Anti-Gay Law for Ghana. Known as the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill it has split Ghanaian Society along the lines of for and against. But now a group of Fetish Priests from the Ashanti Region have threatened to curse lawmakers with curses in their opposition to the Anti-gay bill.

This move threatens to undermine meaningful and far-reaching debate over the merits and demerits of the proposed Bill tabled by a Private Member of Ghana’s Parliament.

The negative attributes of the Fetish System again weigh heavily on Women and Girls. Apart from the Trokosi System discussed earlier, Women and Girls are at the receiving end of forced marriage and demands for sex under the guise of rituals. Such acts leave victims trapped in silence, shame and systemic gender inequality and exploitation.

Closely related to that is the plight of close family members of some Fetish Priests. Many a time family members who want no part of the Fetish are victimized for their beliefs. A case in point is the drama playing out in the family of a Fetish Priest Nana Osie Augustine, also known as Nana Tutugyagu.

Although many fetish priests in Ghana are seen as powerful, with some people seeking their help for spiritual assistance and others for money rituals, Nana Tutugyagu stands tall.

Based in a farming community called Badu in the Tain District, Nana Tutugyagu has gained popularity all over Africa due to his high level of power and influence among heads of state, the security forces and some secret societies he is known to be the founder.
His son, Known as Richard Amankwaa is reported to have gone missing for some years now as a result of constant persecution.

The son is reported to have refused to be initiated as the next priest when Nana Osei passed on.

According to reports, the son is still on the run after the father vowed to take his life if he refuses to accept the priest’s role. This story illustrates how influential Fetish Priests can be.

Fetish Priests cannot be discussed without mentioning the threat some pose to Public Health. They advise people to seek spiritual help instead of visiting the appropriate health institutions for serious medical conditions. This invariably ends up in avoidable deaths, rejection of vaccines and the needless spread of diseases.

The social dimension of the ill effects of misguided Fetish Priests cannot be downplayed. Families are thrown into conflict and unity is shattered when People are labelled witches by Fetish Priests. They also invoke spirits to torment victims and lay curses on individuals.

These actions instil fear in communities, destroy reputations and make people live in hostile environments, leaving a severe psychological toll on victims.

With all the negatives of some Fetish Priests considered, it is abundantly clear that Ghana as a State must take drastic action to instil sanity and order among the ranks of Fetish Practitioners. Although the cultural heritage of the Country has to be preserved, the negative influence of aspects of the cultural heritage has to be annulled or reformed for the welfare of the people, particularly women and children, as well as the vulnerable in general.

Going forward steps must be taken to enforce laws on the Trokosi System. Again there is the need to regulate shrines and spiritual practices as well as step up education of communities on human rights and healthcare. It would be ideal to promote dialogue between traditional and modern justice systems to curb excesses

Fetish Priests have to be reined in to ensure their actions do not undermine the safety, dignity and rights of the people.

 

BY JOHN SAM-ARTHUR