Day 79

Today we went to Gambaga, a road trip of 52km each way. A man in a shop had previously told us that half the road was tarred and half was dirt. Maths, however, is not a Ghanaian strong point. 5km down the road, it turned from good tar to dirt and then very quickly to sand. After several almost skids, I slowed down to a more manageable speed (less than 30kmph) and we rattled along the ridges, skidded in the sand. Out of nowhere, about 35km down the dirt, a road emerged – perhaps the nicest road I’ve ever seen in Ghana - and finally made our way to Gambaga 2 ½ hours later after we’d left Walewale.

Gambaga is home to a “witches camp”, where women ousted from their communities for being witches can go and stay. There are many discussions about the morality of such a place and therefore whether or not visiting is a good idea. However, in the past, when women have been “released”, they’ve not wanted to leave as Gambaga is their home and they’re safe there.

"Witches" compound

So, we visited. We weren’t really sure where we were meant to go, so asked at a local spot. The owner called two of his friends, one of whom took us to see the chief to seek permission to visit. We paid him a little money, then an elder took us around. It looked very similar to any area of local housing, the big difference being the absence of men. The women are also given a little land as they have no entitlement to land in their home villages.

Like many visits in Ghana, the journey was as memorable (and considerably longer!) than the experience. Here’s to a few more road trips!