Traditional widowhood rites: Pros and cons. According to the Executive Director of the Widows and Orphans Movement, Madam Betty Ayagiba, most of the widowhood rites were being spearheaded by women who suppress the widows, torture, strip them naked, shave their hairs, and force them to drink concoctions prepared with leaves, hairs and finger nails of their late husbands. The Ghanaian Chronicle [Accra]. 2006; CBC 7 July 2004). Widows Rights International (WRI). Originally designed as a formal marriage training for mature women in their twenties, Dipo has evolved into a pre-marital sexual purification rite that involves teenage girls conducting traditional religious rituals and putting on dance performances for the public. Witchcraft, widowhood rites and female genital mutilation (FGM) … Accra Daily Mail. "Woman Accused of Killing her Husband Brings Solace to Women." He therefore, admonished the traditional authorities and government to adopt effective ways of abolishing all negative cultural practices and customary rites. In a report on violence against women in Ghana, the United Nations (UN) Division for the Advancement of Women indicated that widowhood rites included confining the widow to a room, shaving her head, having her wear a rope around her neck and conducting a ritual bath (11-14 Apr. [Accessed 6 July 2006] Sources reported that widowhood rites are prohibited under Ghana's penal code (Accra Daily Mail 1 Mar. United Nations (UN). Here, when a … Documents earlier than 2003 may be found only on Refworld. Here are the good socio cultural practices in Ghana; 1. An associate professor from Indiana University and a professor from the Centre of African Studies at the University of Edinburgh did not have information on the subject. Catch up with all the political quotes from our politicians. WIDOWHOOD RITE AMONG THE KROBO-ODUMASI PEOPLE The Krobos are people of the Dangme who live in the eastern region of the southeast of Ghana. Violence Against Women: The Ghanaian Case. Violence Against Women: The Ghanaian Case. [Accessed 6 July 2006] [Accessed 6 July 2006] 6 June 2006. [Accessed 6 July 2006] [Accessed 6 July 2006] [Accessed 6 July 2006] Examples of ethnic groups that practise widowhood rites in Ghana include but not limited to: Ga, Degah, Dagara, Dagbamba, Gurunɛ, Kusasi and Sisala. Correspondence. Using critical feminist frameworks, we explore the plight of widows and the concept of widowhood in African society. United Nations (UN). Widowhood Rite: An Infringement on the Rights of Widows in Bongo . Additional Sources Consulted The Ghanaian Chronicle [Accra]. Copyright notice: This document is published with the permission of the copyright holder and producer Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). Widowhood rites. An associate professor from Indiana University and a professor from the Centre of African Studies at the University of Edinburgh did not have information on the subject. Widowhood experiences can, therefore, be pleasant or painful. Additional Sources Consulted Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW). Internet sites, including: Africa Confidential, AllAfrica.com, Amnesty International, British Broadcasting Corporation, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice Ghana, Factiva, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Integrated Regional Information Networks, Jeuneafrique.com, Lawa (Ghana) Alumnae Inc., Legislationline, MATCH International Centre, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United States Department of State and World News Connection. the practice of widowhood rites in the Ga traditional area of Ghana and find out the reasons that underlie the practice. Matsobane Manala, African traditional widowhood rites and their benefits and/or detrimental effects on widows in a context of African Christianity, HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 10.4102/hts.v71i3.2913, 71, 3, (2015). "Woe for the Widows of Ghana." United Nations Secretary-General's In-depth Study on Violence Against Women. Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW). To reverse the trend, a two-day seminar has been organised at Bolgatanga by the Cultural Initiatives Support Programme (CISP), in collaboration with the Widows and Orphans Movement, to promote the culture of human rights, and to discuss the causes, effects and potential solution to the issue of widowhood rites. Oral sources: A professor from the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto did not provide information within the time constraints. Studies on widowhood rites in Africa follow three clearly defined stereotypes. Fall 2005. Additional Sources Consulted Fall 2005. 3 January 2006. Publications: Africa Research Bulletin. 4 July 2006. Widows and Orphans Ministry (WOM). The original version of this document may be found on the offical website of the IRB at http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/. Widowhood Rites The Ga believe that in everything there is a Spiritual and a Physical element. The widow also stated that this went on for a year and that the family of her late husband was no longer willing to care for her children (ibid.). "Work of Widows and Orphans Ministry Ghana." This chapter examines the concept of widowhood, as well as widowhood rites within African society, informed by religion and culture. United Nations Secretary-General's In-depth Study on Violence Against Women. Based in Bolgatanga (Accra Daily Mail 24 May 2004), it is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to fight for the rights of widows and orphans, including addressing the negative impacts of widowhood rites (Public Agenda 19 June 2006; WOM n.d.; CUSO Fall 2005, 4). In the olden days members of the family would also have shave their heads, not wear shoes or cook in their houses (usually where the dead person lived) for a period of time. 3 January 2006. Kindly Share This Story: By Morenike Taire. Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW). [Accessed 6 July 2006] CUSO. Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. [Accessed 6 July 2006] _____. "Work of Widows and Orphans Ministry Ghana." Correspondence. 'The multiple human rights violations widows and their children go through in this part of the country, in the name of culture, has led widows into extreme poverty, migration, social oppression, with many children being denied access to education and health. [Accessed 6 July 2006] Publications: Africa Research Bulletin. Aborampah, OM (1999) Women’s roles in the mourning rituals of the Akan of Ghana. Public Agenda also reported that a widow must be accompanied at all times and that she is given a knife, a stick and a calabash (a bowl or dipper made from the shell of this fruit), which she must carry with her (19 June 2005). widowhood, widowhood rites, violations against their property rights and the protective resources they employ to survive. 3 January 2006. Oral sources: A professor from the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto did not provide information within the time constraints. The 1989 amendment to the Penal Code criminalises the acts of any person who compels a widow to undergo any custom or practice that is cruel, immoral, or grossly indecent. Internet sites, including: Africa Confidential, AllAfrica.com, Amnesty International, British Broadcasting Corporation, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice Ghana, Factiva, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Integrated Regional Information Networks, Jeuneafrique.com, Lawa (Ghana) Alumnae Inc., Legislationline, MATCH International Centre, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United States Department of State and World News Connection. [Accessed 6 July 2006] [Accessed 6 July 2006] Internet sites, including: Africa Confidential, AllAfrica.com, Amnesty International, British Broadcasting Corporation, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice Ghana, Factiva, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Integrated Regional Information Networks, Jeuneafrique.com, Lawa (Ghana) Alumnae Inc., Legislationline, MATCH International Centre, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United States Department of State and World News Connection. An associate professor from Indiana University and a professor from the Centre of African Studies at the University of Edinburgh did not have information on the subject. 24 May 2004. Oral sources: A professor from the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto did not provide information within the time constraints. Additional Sources Consulted "Widowhood Rites on Ascendancy in Asutifi ... A Victim Narrates her Ordeal." When a spouse dies, although the marriage has ended in the physical realm, it has not ended in the spiritual. The study was conducted in the Cape Coast metropolis in the Central Region of Ghana. First, are scholars whose primary concern is to catalogue the perceived woes of widows. There were several other speakers who delivered significant speeches, including the Programme Coordinator of CISP, Kwasi Gyan Apenteng, the Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mrs. Lucy Awuni, and Madam Selina Owusu, a women's advocate. Some of these rites include cruel and degrading treatment. N.d. "Contribution by: Widows and Orphans Ministry (WOM, Ghana)." The original version of this document may be found on the offical website of the IRB at, Last Updated: Monday, 08 February 2021, 18:18 GMT, 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa. Workshop Participants Tell Parliament." "Woe for the Widows of Ghana." Internet sites, including: Africa Confidential, AllAfrica.com, Amnesty International, British Broadcasting Corporation, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice Ghana, Factiva, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Integrated Regional Information Networks, Jeuneafrique.com, Lawa (Ghana) Alumnae Inc., Legislationline, MATCH International Centre, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United States Department of State and World News Connection. Public Agenda [Accra]. 3 January 2006. CUSO. Lyndsay Duncombe. The article also indicated that "[o]n the fourth day, the widow is led outside in nakedness and bathed" (ibid.). Some traditional societies tend to believe that when a man dies, it is because his wife is an unlucky woman whose ill-luck has caused her husband’s death (source). An associate professor from Indiana University and a professor from the Centre of African Studies at the University of Edinburgh did not have information on the subject. Upper West Region: Police arrest 83 persons for breaching COVID Protocols, Dr. Amin Anta awards health workers at Karaga District Hospital, Workers' fears about COVID allayed at Ministry of Justice, Bono Region: How Wenchi residents are sharing water with animals, bitten by snakes [Photos], Himan and Prestea Inner - City Asphalt Roads, My Greatest Joy - Hon. Ba (1981), describes this period as a dreadful moment for African women and Oduyoye (1997), calls it extremely intense period. Additional Sources Consulted Thousands of women have undergone multiple human rights violations in the name of culture, and dehumanising customary practices. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). An associate professor from Indiana University and a professor from the Centre of African Studies at the University of Edinburgh did not have information on the subject. Copyright notice: This document is published with the permission of the copyright holder and producer Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). Documents earlier than 2003 may be found only on Refworld. Additional Sources Consulted [Accessed 6 July 2006] Widows and Orphans Ministry (WOM). Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Violence Against Women: The Ghanaian Case. It is estimated that the Upper East Region alone has over 10,000 widows, out of which 7,865 are members of the Widows Movement. This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. Page 25 (Regional News) The paramount chief of the Bongo traditional area in the Upper East Region, Naba Baba Salifu Aleemeyaarum, has banned the performance of widowhood rites in the area, which human rights activists describe as dehumanising. They disclosed that most of the widows, who could not stand the humiliation, beatings, and other ill-treatment, sometimes commit suicide. Instructor at Camosun College, Victoria, British Columbia. N.d. "Contribution by: Widows and Orphans Ministry (WOM, Ghana)." [Accessed 6 July 2006] Documents earlier than 2003 may be found only on Refworld. [Accessed 6 July 2006] [Accessed 6 July 2006] Oral sources: A professor from the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto did not provide information within the time constraints. Publications: Africa Research Bulletin. They ranged in age from 30 to 81, rural/urban dwelling, education, monogamous/polygamous marriage, different widowhood experiences, Christian/Muslim … Publications: Africa Research Bulletin. N.d. "Contribution by: Widows and Orphans Ministry (WOM, Ghana)." Among the Dagbamba, like many other cultures in northern Ghana, the performance of the widowhood rites is not compulsory for the widow (see Joseph, A.A., 2012). However, the processes are different. Widows Rights International (WRI). [Accessed 6 July 2006] The dissertation also explored how the widows make meaning out of their experiences. 11-14 April 2005. [Accessed 6 July 2006] 11-14 April 2005. Widowhood rites and food taboos have been identified as two cultural and traditional practices on the increase in the Asutifi district in the Brong Ahafo region. A lot of widows and their children are denied their autonomy and independence.'. Publications: Africa Research Bulletin. The original version of this document may be found on the offical website of the IRB at http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/. Public Agenda [Accra]. Widows Rights International (WRI). 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