Newspaper Page Text
2A
February 13, 1997 AUGUSTA FOCUS
World / National View
R e
t.;: \ e !«’fW 77 e}.
%’, ,: W ARE {f// iy
£ 2 ¢5 o ’ { i
AFRICA i
EPRT R
o ® &
Religious practice
®
in Ghana labeled
[4l b 2
modern “slavery
By Beth Duff-Brown
ASSOCIATED PRESS Writer
ACCRA, Ghana
Slavery has long been a part of Ghanaian
culture and still exists today in remote parts
of the country, widely shrugged off as just an
unusual religious prerogative.
Trokosi — a word in the Ewe language
meaning “wife of the gods” — is practiced at
dozens of isolated animist shrines in the
southeastern Volta region.
Some families believe they are still respon
sible for the misdeeds of their ancestors, and
to appease the war gods they must sacrifice a
vestal virgin from every new generation.
Daughters as young as 10 are handed over
to temples, where they are servants until
they begin to menstruate and then typically
become the exclusive concubines of the
priests.
It is often not until they are middle aged
and have given the priests children that the
women are released, only to be replaced by
yet another virgin from the same family.
They are usually illiterate, have no employ
able skills and likely will never have hus
bands and children of their own.
“I personally think that it’s Ghana’s most
fundamental human rights problem,” said
Karen Gladding, human rights officer at the
U.S. Embassy in Accra.
The bondage dates back to the 17th cen
tury and also is practiced in neighboring
Togo, Benin and Nigeria, where it is believed
to have originated.
‘fi N
SAT C H Eal ,»
1 08 8 ;91":73 $ oM
¥ A ,@fi%\fi
aucfik" &O'NEIL
7 ?w) RS -
THEY PLAYED FeR MORE THAN WINS.
THEY PLAYED FeR HONOR, PRIDE
AND LOVE ©F THE GAME.
From Satchel’s wicked curve to Josh
Gibson's monster homers, they had
all the heart, soul and talent to <
make them all-time greats. And
during Black History Month, Miller
Lite salutes these heroes of the game
by offering you the chance to win a trip
to the Annual Jackie Robinson Foundation
Dinner in New York City.
Suuse seswwns memmes vou ve: Myst be 21 0f oider to participate. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. For a full set of sweepstakas rules, A
S abbadadl HEN | sond a request 1o Miler Lite Greats of e Game Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 6613, Male Plan, MN 55503-6613. Envies IPTT Y
[vou JEDEREBERE] st be receved by Feb. 27, 1997. ©1997 Millr Brewing Company Mivaukee, W 1 TWO 1996 Page Enterprises Tt
™ under ficense authorized by CMG Workdwide Inc., indianapolls, indiana, 46202 USA wem.cmgww.com B
SOUTH AFRICA ;
Biko’s family to oppose
amnesty for former police
B The family of the slain
black activist wants those
responsible for his gruesome
death to stand trial.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa
(AP) Relatives of black consciousness
leader Steve Biko will oppose applications
for amnesty by five former policemen who
have confessed to involvement in Biko’s
19717 killing.
A family gathering Sunday reached the
decision to hire a lawyer and fight the
amnesty applications filed with South
Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commis
sion.
Biko’s family previously mounted a court
challenge against the law creating the com
mission, which is investigating apartheid
era political crimes and can grant amnesty
to people making full confessions.
That bid failed, and now the family will
try to stop the five former security police
men from getting amnesty in connection
with Biko’s death in detention.
The family wants those responsible for
Biko’s death to stand trial.
Peter Jones, an associate of Biko, told the
The U.S. Embassy estimates at least
4,500 girls have been made religious slaves.
Local humanitarian groups say the figure
could be as high as 10,000 to 12,000.
A proposed law before Parliament would
outlaw the practice. But ¢rokosi slavery
practiced in President Jerry Rawlings’
own ethnic group has generally been ig
nored.
“To pacify the gods, the virgins are
brought in to serve the priests,” Togbe
Aklidokpo, priest of the Avekpedome
temple, told Ghanaian filmmaker Kofi
Boateng in his recent documentary on
trokosi. “Even in the Bible, you have the
Virgin Mary — so that’s not anything
bad.”
Aklidokpo said he had 20 trokosi, but
claims to have let 16 go. He said he has
lite
". “‘%
N 4
RS
~ Satchel. Josh. Buck. They played the game
their way so that one day we could all play it
together. And for that we honor them,
| To enter, send a hand-printed 3" x 5"
card with your name, address, daytime
> phone number, date of birth and the
words "Miller Lite Greats of the Game
Sweepstakes” to P.O. Box 6611, Maple Plain,
MN 55593-6611.
South African Press Association the family
met at his house with two lawyers to discuss
the case. :
He said the family has instructed the Le
gal Resources Center to oppose the amnesty
applications of the five retired policemen —
Col. Harold Snyman, Lt. Col. Gideon
Nieuwoudt, Ruben Marx, Daantjie Siebert
and Johan Beneke.
“If the full story does not come out we can
exercise our right and oppose the applica
tions,” Jones said. “We have no indication
that these people are wanting to spill the
beans.”
Bongani Majola, director of the Legal Re
sources Center, told SAPA he would notify
the commission this week that the legal
center had been instructed to oppose the
amnesty bid.
Biko, a charismatic black leader, died of
untreated head injuries in a Pretoria prison
on Sept. 12,1977, at age 30. The death —the
apparent result of a beating by police —
impassioned the anti-apartheid movement
inside and outside South Africa.
Police for years denied beating or tortur
ing Biko to death, blaming his injuries on a
scuffle as they tried to restrain him.
claims to have let 16 go. He said he has
about 300 children from the slaves and his
numerous wives.
“They become the wives of the gods,” he
said of the trokosi. “This is to compensate
for the deprivations suffered by the family
of the victims.”
Boateng, who received a grant from the
U.S. Embassy, said it took him two years
to gain the trust of the shrine priests for
permission to interview them and trokosi.
“I really wanted to bring out the prob
lem for people to analyze and make up
their own minds,” said Boateng, who is
from the Ashanti ethnic group, which has
no slaves. “I just wanted the film to speak
for itself, to show a way of life, the abuses
and suffering.”
T
waen ’7“’”§ dg’g:;{%é’\ evt
G SN NLR T S
. $ e e
e S e
SRt el B
eSR eép’ G S s
: ; Sl G S &
Do mie e (e ;
LT e e
W R S A S
;ee i e
Wl e 2
, Sl
|s ‘ 3
—‘ R
A
e SR
b
ARSI g
| JERY SR
oS
Reirty ]
‘a e e
< o
| Lo
| P P
‘ e
s e
e
|
foio v
. s
‘km‘g? o
L 8 * e
8 s
§ A a%\fi..;c %
: L B
\{ | %»*{;m
\ BT, get w D e
| B e \’t
| PR A
v SR
Atk
. AN
o
g i
i A ¥y § e
S K TN Y
“‘ S i %%
Rodvia & A E "
3 »,:2‘"- T ‘ " ' ' "
3 A
Ry % ‘ "
p|E|3A 1 i : . ( |
] ] E ; E P K E k | B y b E " ’ ‘. F
. | i % ] B : !
111! i ; 2 EE B ; ‘4 i
: il ¥ 11111 l | |
| : i | o B 1
i P E f ‘ i : : v
: 3 R ' g 4 ; » ‘
‘ ¥
ing With The Georgia Lottery Has Added Up For
Working Wi a 4
Y ‘
Singleton & Jordan.
Sterling Singleton and John Jordan are
partners and owners of Singleton &
Jordan, LLC, a full-service certified
public accounting firm. Since the
Lottery began, they've become modest
television celebrities.
You see, they're one of two firms that
certify Lottery drawings are conducted
in a fair and impartial manner. Its the
same mannc of faimess and imparaly
uses to involve minority businesses in
THE LEGISLATURE :
Bill would create trust
fund from DUI violators
B Georgians with
brain and spinal
injuries would be
chief beneficiaries.
ATLANTA
Abill was introduced to the Gen
eral Assembly onJanuary 27 which
will create a state trust fund for
Georgians with brain and spinal
cord injuries. The trust fund will
be financed through monies col
lected from additional fines placed
on DUI violators.
The bill, sponsored by Senator
Charles Walker (D-22), Senator
Connie Stokes (D-43), and Sena
tor Eddie Madden (D-47) was pre
sented to the state Senate last
week and has been assigned to the
Judiciary Committee for further
review.
The Coalition on the Brain and
Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund, a
group of organizations advocating
for the rights of Georgians with
disabilities and victims of DUI vio
lators, developed the proposed leg
islation. The coalition reports that
half of all brain and spinal cord
injuries are the result of motor
vehicle accidents and driver im
pairment is a factor in a majority
of these cases.
Therefore, the creation of atrust
fund through additional fines on
DUI violators would hold the re
sponsible parties accountable for
their actions. It would cost tax
payers nothing.
Over 20,000 Georgians sustain
brain and spinal cord injuries each
year. Until the last decade, most
victims of extreme neurotrauma
died. Today, most survive. In spite
of advances in medicine, the exist
ing systems fail to support inde
pendent living for these survivors.
Improved emergency care and
initial rehabilitation ensure sur
their day-to-day business. Through this
Minority Participation Plan, Sterling and
John's firm has been able to grow and
expand, hiring additional staff as well as
upgrading the office's computer
equipment. An active supporter of
minority businesses throughout the
state, the Georgia Lottery continues to
provide opportunities for success for
businesses like Singleton & Jordan and
gives everyone the chance to become
true winners.
vival but cannot prevent perma
nent disabilities that result froth
sever neurotrauma. The Coalition
on the Brain and Spinal Cord In
jury Trust Fund reports that some
85 percent of Georgians with such
disabilities are on public assistande
ten years after their injury. 2
Gapsininsurance coverage, lim
ited personal resources and high
costs prevent Georgians with brain
and spinal cord injuries from ac
cessing the services they need to
return to productive lifestyles.
MADD, which supports the trust
fund legislation, reports that
proper care for a head injury can
require 5-10 yearsof intensive ser
vices costing as much as $4 million
over a lifetime. However, insur
ance provides little support for
survivors of neurotrauma after
initial rehabilitation.
Rachel Jones of Families and
Survivors Standing Together
(FASST) says, “Once a person
leaves the hospital...they are basi
cally left totally alone.” Insurance
frequently does not cover personal
assistants, special equipment or
continued therapies that would
support independent living. '
Asaresult, Georgians with braih
and spinal cord injuries have been
both dependent on and limited by
professional providers whose ser
vices were not created specifically
for people with disabilities. “The
goal of this trust fund is to allaw
for empowerment and provide for
those whose needs are not cur
rently being met,” Jones said. ;
Trust funds are already in place
in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama,
Tennessee, and Louisiana. The
plan proposes that an additional
assessment of 10 percent be ap
plied o DUI violation penalties.
The trust fund would have non
profit status so that donations
could also be made by individuals
and corporations. +
B
Partners in Suecess