Female Ritual Servitude

About the Book

The first mention of the word “Trokosi can be traced to the work of A. B. Ellis in 1890 writing on the topic of “Priesthood” in “The Ewe Speaking People of the Gold Coast.” As far back as the early 1900s a protest letter was submitted by a native of the Gold Coast to the Colonial Secretary of Native Affairs calling for an end to a practice that marginalized, dehumanized and treated young virgins as slaves “consecrated” to the gods. Unfortunately in 2009 the fight still continues. The authors bring light to an issue greatly in need of critical scrutiny.

This book poignantly elucidates firsthand accounts of the voices of the Trokosi victims, the geographical spread of the practice, interrogates the social context in which the practice thrives, traces the travailing journeys of the victims, discusses the liberation efforts and rehabilitation programs, examines the role of civil society in confronting the system and closes with the tensions within the discourses that support or reject the Trokosi system.

About the Author

WISDOM YAW MENSAH

He holds a PhD from Ohio University. He worked on the Trokosi issue for fourteen years as Programs Coordinator of International Needs Ghana (a nonprofit). His passion and fight for women and children's rights resulted in the emancipation and rehabilitation of 4000 Trokosi women by ING.

He is currently an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator  of Cultural Studies in Education at Ohio University in Athens. He has taught in four other universities and researches into marginalized populations. He has consulted for the Ministry of Education Ghana, Ghana National Association of Teachers and SOS Village Projects in Ghana among others.