It is unfortunate that in our modern-day society, people suspected to be witches, especially in the Northern Region, are subjected to beatings, starvation and eventual isolation in far-away camps to mourn and die miserable deaths –all to the detriment of the society. Over the decades, especially in the period between early 1940s and late 1950s, our Ghanaian traditional communities used spiritual or psychic means of managing witchcraft issues, without so much as infringing upon the human rights of suspected witches. Such an approach was somewhat commendable. But things have changed now for the worse, and brutalities of suspected witches and their encampment are now their lot. It will be remembered that it was in this light that, in her presentation of a paper at an Action Aid workshop at Tamale last Friday, the Director of the Christian Council of Ghana, Janet Mohammed, deplored the existence of the five isolated “witchcraft camps” (mostly populated by so-called women witches) in the Northern Region. Janet thus stressed on the need for prudent management practices in regard to such witchcraft cases, which should be devoid of “gender twists” and human rights abuses, (Network Herald, August 22-23, 2005). A few years ago, the issue of Gambaga witchcraft camp in Northern Region received wide publicity in the media. It was reported that suspected witches, mostly old women, were beaten, humiliated with boos and hoots, and forcibly expelled from their communities, never to come back again to cause spiritual destruction. Within a brief space of time, four other camps have mushroomed in the Northern Region, namely: the ‘Gnyaani’ camp in the Yendi district, ‘Kpatinga’ in the Gushiegu – Karanga district, ‘Kuukuo’ in Nanumba district, and ‘Bonuse’ in the West Gonja district. The existence of these camps brings into sharp focus such questions as to whether witchcraft exists at all; whether witches can be truly identified; and whether there is any better way of dealing with some supposed witches. The first question concerning whether there is witchcraft or not in this world, reminds me of a TV pastor who only some time ago was preaching that there was nothing like witchcraft which exists, and therefore there are no witches. He was arguing that the idea of witchcraft only comes from the mind that is filled with negative thoughts. And that if a person can think that there is no witchcraft existing in the world, he so much cultivates a positive mentality that ignores all such witchcraft illusions. Such a person has therefore nothing to fear, such as witches! Such preaching was indeed ridiculous. It sounded like the proclamation of the 19th century Mary Anne Baker (mother of the Christian Science), who taught that “sin, illness and disease are all illusions of the mind to be corrected by right thinking”. Both Mary and this TV preacher were probably preaching some subjectivist philosophy, much against the objectivist doctrines which Christ taught, to the effect that demons (including witches) destructively exist independently of man. Hence, Christ cast out witchcraft or demons from their human possessors. (See Matthew 17: 14, Luke 4: 33 etc.) Since the Bible expressly talks about witchcraft (Deuteronomy 18:10, Galatians 5:20), there is no gainsaying the fact that witchcraft exists, or that there are witches in the world who are concerned with destroying their victims. Rt. Rev. Dr. Peter Akwasi Sarpong, Catholic Bishop of Kumasi, explains that “a witch is a living human being who possesses or rather is supposed to possess witchcraft substance” (bayi-kukuo) such as a pot, a gourd, shell beads etc. located under the bed, in the hearth, farm etc…… “Witchcraft is supposed to be a psychic emanation which is believed to cause injury to health and property. It is supposed to look and glow like fire and able to fly. It is visible at night but most dangerous to see,” (Ghana In Retrospect, pp. 45-46). Indeed, witches can be identified not by mere suspicion but by: (i) their confessions (ii) their physical manifestation scenarios or (iii) by being spotted by someone who either has clairvoyant sight or the charismatic gift of spirit discernment. Usually, witches are touched by the Word of God to repent, and thence privately approach a pastor to confess to their witchery, only to seek ‘deliverance’ or divine expulsion of their witchcraft. But in the former traditional societies, especially in the 1940s and ‘50s when such fetish cults as Kwaku Firi, Asaase, Tigare etc. held spiritual sway, witches who were said to have been ‘hit’ by the cult gods rushed to shrines to confess their having been ‘caught’ by such gods, whereupon they revealed all they had secretly destroyed, for the sake of psychic ‘deliverance’. In our modern times, physical or emotional manifestation of witchcraft possession can usually be seen in power-filled church or deliverance service wherein witches often fall down and roll over and over, confessing to what they had destroyed, or exhibiting themselves as witchlike barking dogs, hissing snakes, bleating goats and so on. As a matter of fact, identifying witches through clairvoyance, or better still, through the charismatic gift of spirit discernment is also in vogue. When a witch is so discerned, the private counselling that follows is further enhanced by exorcism or charismatic ‘deliverance’ wherein the witchcraft is expelled. It is to be noted that people with such a charismatic gift should not try to misuse it by mentioning names of witches to cause embarrassment, but they should use it in expelling witchcraft. Jesus Christ never mentioned anyone’s name, branding him or her as a wizard or witch! This is what true pastors must learn! When witches are identified, they must be treated in a kind, humane manner; for, they are also human beings, except that the hellish spirits or witchcraft in them only compel or motivate them to use that spiritual power to destroy. In fact, beating, caning, disgracing or isolating them in remote areas do not expel the witchcraft in them. Fact is, any of these kinds of punishment can even cause a real witch to spiritually hit back and destroy the more, simply because witchcraft is a spirit that can travel anywhere in the world! Therefore the over 2000 witches (if truly they are witches) spread in five “witches camps” in the Northern Region can still destroy in their former villages if they choose to do so! Isolating them is therefore of no effect whatsoever. There are only two safeguards in dealing with issues of witchery: firstly, people who are clearly identified as witches should be recommended to a spiritually powerful church or pastor for deliverance or ‘exorcism.’ Secondly, those who believe that they are victims of witchery should resort to midnight prayers, using Psalms 91 and 7. They may sometimes fast to boost up the protection power of their prayers. And surely they will be protected by the Lord. Finally, love must be shown to witches, instead brutalities! Don’t you agree to this? Government must legislate against isolation of witches or against their encampment, especially in the Northern Region territories! All witches’ camps must be banned immediately!