Could it be that the myth of one building a blockhouse without thinking about witchcraft attacks has ended in the Upper East Region?
It will not be out of place for one to ask whether the myth of one building one’s dream house in one’s community has ended due to the wake of technology and self-enlightenment in recent times.
The point is, history has it that in the Upper East Region it was a suicidal thought for one to think of building a blockhouse in his/her community without thinking of dying a strange death the next day.
It was widely speculated that old ladies and men in the villages hated the progress of young people and will do anything they could, either spiritually or physically to harm any person who tries to build a blockhouse in the community.
This thought really sunken into the mentality of young people who were between the ages of 20 and 30 years and were well to do to either relax or use their monies on womanizing and alcoholism.
This myth as it was, actually forced many young people into alcoholism to the extent that majority of them were measured their riches by the number of beer bottles they could consume each day.
These behaviors (womanizing and alcoholism), according to young people at the time were the only way they could survive while having their possessions.
The notion which existed for long and gradually faded off around 2010, actually caused a lot of setbacks for many people in the Upper East Region to the extent that some who still live up to date continue to curse themselves for believing it.
In my interaction with one of such victims who only wants’ to be called ‘Burga One’ noted that from 1998 to 2006 he was the leading cattle seller in the Bolgatanga Municipality.
According to Burga, money to him at that time was like groundnuts as sometimes he will find it difficult to sit down and count them.
Regardless of that, Burga told me that he never thought of building a block room for himself neither talking of a house for the family.
Burga is married with five children but now finds it difficult to cater for himself talkless of the children and his wife.
Burga can not be the only one who have suffered from these myths, but many have and lived to regret it in the Upper East Region.
But could the same myth be a threat to today’s generation?
Well, young people in the Upper East Region are seeing it to be a fairytale that does not require their attention and are busy putting up ultramodern houses in their communities.
In an interaction with some of them, they noted that they are no longer scared of such myths, but usually cautious when visiting their communities to undertake their projects.
Samuel Adams said that “As we speak, I’m putting up a two-bedroom self-contained house in my community. I’m not scary, but I’m being cautious of who I interact with any time I visit my community.”
Richmond Abingeya also noted that he was building his second house in his community and does not have time for such beliefs.
He said “Yes, growing up, such stories of young people dying because they wanted to put up something in their communities were there. I used to hear it every day. Even when I wanted to put up my first house, my mother advised me not to build it in the community, but I told her nothing will happen. It is all about enlightenment.”
Meanwhile a visit to eight districts and 23 communities in the upper east region, it was realized that different styles of houses are sprinkling up which could be a sign that the old myth is gradually losing its stands in this generation.
Source: A1radioonline.com| 101.1 MHz| Moses Apiah| Ghana
