A researcherDenis Tibel, is advocating for the inclusion of the impact of wrongly accusing women of witchcraft in the national teaching curriculum at the elementary level. Tibel believes that by exposing children to courses that strive to remove the unfavorable impression of people, particularly old ladies, as witches, the societal misperception surrounding women will be changed. Tibel discussed the topic and compared the success of include Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the curriculum and its effects on eliminating the practice.
In a recent interview with A1 Radio, Mr. Tibel stated, “The research ended not to entirely eliminate witchcraft accusations but rather to educate. So, I concluded the research by advocating for the inclusion of the study on the impact of witchcraft accusations in our basic curriculum in teaching. When we include the study of witchcraft education in our curriculum, we will have a generation who will know the dangers involved in accusing someone as a witch. So, with education, some of the accusations can be reduced with time.”
Mr. Tibel emphasised the importance of education, stating that it is the beginning of every aspect of human life. He believes that by continuing to educate the young, cultural practises like witchcraft accusations can eventually be eliminated. “So, I advocated for the inclusion of these things in the curriculum because education is the beginning of every aspect of human life. So, if we continue educating the young ones, it will get to a point where we will eventually eliminate these cultural practises,” he said.
Mr. Tibel’s recommendation comes as part of his research into negative cultural practises that hinder women’s empowerment. The inclusion of the impact of falsely accusing women as witches in the national teaching curriculum is expected to go a long way in reducing such practises and promoting gender equality.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Gerard Awombadek Asagi|Ghana
