Trokosi in Africa
The modern world faces the evil of slavery which still remains as one of the paramount socio-cultural and legal hindrances that threatens the advancement of the human civilization. A close study would make one comprehend the intricate situation of the African society which reflects the problematic geographical clump in regard to slavery. A close study in respect to the practices of trokosi would reveal the present state of occultism and slavery that are prevalent in Africa. The history and the nature of the practice need to be taken into account to understand custom.
It comes as an acute shock to the gazillion dwellers of the developed world that the practice of slavery still looms greatly over the peoples and lands as dominant cultural practice. The country of Ghana has one of the most complex and problematic status quo when on comes to the issue of slavery.
The land’s trokosi system is debated all over the world on grounds of socio-politics, culture and human rights. The controversial issue hogs the limelight across heated arguments which opine that the custom should be abolished on the ground of the insensitivity shown to the human rights of the young virgin females. However, another opinion expresses that the custom should remain as the custom comes with the long tradition from the past times.
Nevertheless, whatever be the debate, the issue of dehumanization of the young girls cannot be turned a blind eye to and the custom needs to be scrutinized objectively to gain an insight into it. The custom has profound influence on the socio-dynamics of the African lands.
Trokosi as the Custom
The custom is described quite often as an important facet of the African religious traditions and culture. The word can be interpreted as ‘slaves of gods’, while the basis lies in the exchange of young virgin girls as a counterpoise for the sins which have been committed by her family. It is believed that the family members can avoid the punishment for all their sins by sacrificing the young girl. Thus, the custom of trokosi can be taken as an intricate belief system and it finds its root in assuming the omniscience of divine causes.
The underlying intention of the system is the motive to punish the people who have done wrong. These young girls are sacrificed to provide reparation for the crimes of her family. Crimes such as stealth and sexual abuse are dealt in this way. However, behind the garb of retribution, the custom aims at something totally different. It is in reality a system of slavery and is a set of cultural norms which lay its clutches on the freedom of human beings and lead to discriminatory practices and abuse. The history can be traced back to the times of the seventeenth century during the period when the peoples who spoke Ewe came to Ghana.
The system actually was a path of finding the truth about the entire world. Trokosi was the reflection of the communal thoughts about criminal activities and the omnipotence of punishment to make individuals deter from committing such crimes in the future times. While centuries before sacrificing cattle, giving liquor and money were normative, with time this got transformed into sacrificing animals or virgin girls to the gods. This obviously bears testimony to the cultural as well as conceptual shift in the religious beliefs of the Africans.
Trokosi in Modern Times
It needs to be noted that the modern practices of this social evil is not limited to the land of Ghana. The custom transcends the geographical boundaries of the nation to reach Benin, Nigerian Yorubaland and Togo. Also, the main features of these trokosi systems remain similar and intertwined. In the present day scenario, torkosi has been transformed into a system of slavery instead of religion and it aptly legitimizes the discriminatory practices. The offering of the young virgin girl to the priest still remains the most common example of the baleful system. According to the theory, the girl requires to work for the priest for a few years. However, in stark contrast, the reality proves that the girl is enslaved for life.
Many crimes are committed through the garb of trokosi system in Africa. These include sexual relationships, adultery, murder and stealth. When the priests are approached, the criminals are asked to offer the virgin girls for reparation. Though, according to these notions the perpetrator is saved from the sins, the virgin girl often does not know who among her relatives have committed the crime, but is made to pay for it.
In such a cited case, a seven year old girl was sent to the priest as her grandfather had been sinful of stealth of a few pennies. After being used for years for agricultural work, from the age of twelve she was sexually exploited by the nineteen-year-old priest. Endeavoring to escape, she succeeded in the second attempt and found shelter at an NGO.
It is obvious that each individual who is made to sustain as a trokosi wishes to be free. This system is not a part of religion, but this is the legitimate device of discrimination which leads to slavery. These young girls are used for labor and they only get in return the very basic requirements of life. Many such girls who have bee trokosis have expressed that they were hardly given to eat and did not even use soap for personal hygiene. They are even denied education and are not permitted to be free. They cannot even marry without the permission of the presiding priest. Trokosi thus remains one of the omniscient cultural traditions of Africa.
The Dichotomy of Morality and Faith
Though in the year 1998, the nation of Ghana outlawed the custom, innumerable girls still suffer from the plight and effects of discrimination, slavery and abuse being the victims of trokosi. The system reflects the prevalent gender discrimination in the African society. Many attempts have been made to stop this custom from spreading its brutal clutches. The system is prohibited by the constitution of Ghana, though the popularity of this practice still reigns supreme.
The government has failed to implement the laws that have been passed against torkosi. This makes the problem of slavery persist in the society. Also, no criminal prosecution has been started. This comes from the confusion regarding the validation of claim in context of trokosi. Torkosi being an inherently religious custom accentuates the problem. The implementation of the laws can be conversely construed as the attempt of the government to limit the liberty of religious choices. The religious and cultural practice is still popular among the mass which thwarts the implementation further. The fear of being cursed for endeavoring to curb the religious customs also looms over the minds of the people.
Trokosi and Consequences
It needs to be understood that simply rescuing a girl from the shackles of slavery is not enough. These individuals have no educational background or skills that are required by them to pursue their ambitions in life. Thus, thus occult system needs to be addressed by holistic and quintessential models of social aid. Only through this can the girls be placed in the main stream of the society. The primary reason behind the spurt of popularity and belief in such a twisted and discriminatory practice roots in the belief that the supernatural powers which transcend the boundaries of the mortal world can be brought under human control.
The Occult and Its Effects
The priests of the African society thus attain the position of paramount importance and are entitled to the task of providing reparation to the sinful souls in the name of god. Karl Marx had opined that religion is the opium of the masses and the social situation of Africa is the startling example of the claim. The gazillion of people are blinded by their belief in customs and they fail to put their cognitive abilities to proper use questioning the irrationality and discrimination which shroud the practice of trokosi.
The occult looms over the human mind and thus open a safe avenue for the priests who are solely guided by their vested interests. The supernatural figure of god vanguards these priests and they face no opposition from law or society for their cruelties and immoralities. The future of innumerable girls is butchered in the name of religion.
Conclusion
This bizarre custom has been institutionalized by the priests and the general mass of the African who seek to find a path of getting rid of the burden of their sins by putting the unbearable onus on the shoulders of the young virgin girls who face abuse and exploitation.
Occultism has mentally conditioned the mass of the land to such an extent that there seems to be no way out of this social evil. This practice should not be viewed as the exotica of primitivism by the developed world. Rather, this exudes the hopelessness of the lives and the trauma and stigma of the Africans. The religious custom brings in horrific consequences for the women folk of the society. A reflection of the patriarchal society, trokosi needs to be eradicated from the core. For that cause the association with the occult needs to be deciphered by the mass of Africa. Only through rational thinking can such prejudiced beliefs and evils be questioned and neutralized for the society to tread on the path of betterment.
References
Gardi, SA 2010, The Revealed Myths About Trokosi Slavery: Human Rights Violations,
Gillard, Linda M. 2010, Trokosi: Slave of the Gods, Grand rapids, USA.
Mensah, WY, Godwyll, FE 2010, Female Ritual Servitude: The Trokosis In Ghana,
Quarterly, KJ 2009, Trokosi, Lübbe, Germany.
Quist, BK 2005, The Trokosi System and Its Impact on Women in Ghana, Minnesota State
