Document #1038883
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
The following information was provided
during a 19 January 1999 telephone interview with a Professor of
Music and Culture at Ohio State University who published a paper on
Ewe cults in the South African journal African Music. The
professor described the initiation rituals of Ewe cults as
"elaborate and painful." He said that the minimum period is two
months but that they can last up to nine months. The person is
isolated from the community "physically, emotionally and
psychologically." They stay in the cult house and are not allowed
to speak to outsiders. They learn the culture of the cult including
its songs and dances while speaking only the language of the cult.
He said that scarification does occur during the initiation, with
detailed cuts made on the initiate's back, three cuts on the
forehead and three cuts on each cheek.
He stated that there are primarily three
reasons why a person would be abducted into an Ewe cult. One basis
for abduction is if the person is believed to be an incarnation of
a deceased member of the cult. This view of the person as a
reincarnate usually occurs when the person is very young and often
leads to the parents giving them as a child to the cult. However,
it is possible, although not common, that the move into the cult
could be delayed until much later in life. The professor stated
that if the person is unwilling to go into the cult they or their
family could be physically harmed.
Another basis for abduction is as a result
of perceived "transgressions against the cult" that could involve
actions by the abductee such as breaking into a cult house or
"seriously insulting a cult member." Often these cases are resolved
through the payment of a fine, but if the person is unable to pay
the fine the cult will sometimes forcibly take the person into the
cult.
A third basis for being taken into the cult
would be if a person were sick and was then diagnosed as "wanted by
the cult." In order to cure the sickness, the person would have to
submit themselves to the cult. If they did not, they would risk
their sickness following its course or having it worsened by the
cult.
He also stated that in all instances, as
the level of education of the person increases, as well as the
degree of their exposure to life outside their community, the less
likely it is that the cult will abduct them. The other professors
consulted corroborated this statement.
A Professor of History at Bowling Green
State University in Ohio who specializes in African traditional
religions, corraborated much of this information during telephone
interviews on 19 and 22 January 1999. She agreed that the abduction
of women into Ewe cults does still occur and added that there are
"definitely instances where a woman can be declared as a wife of a
priest as the result of a divination of a cult member." She stated
that "divinations could identify women or children as the
incarnates of ancestors." She confirmed that persons could be taken
into the cult as a result of a diagnosis of a sickness or as a
result of a transgression against the cult by the abductee, or the
abductee's family. She said there is good documentation, such as
films, of women being taken unwillingly and that escape would be
difficult since the person would be closely watched once taken. She
stated that if a woman is perceived as unwilling to enter the cult
it would be difficult for her to avoid an abduction since it would
be done quickly and secretively. Those persons who have escaped
once abducted often do so with the help of an "enlightened family
member." She also explained that a woman who has had some formal
education or exposure to life outside of the community often comes
from a family where other members have had a similar exposure. This
condition would make it less likely that the woman would be
abducted since the family would be less likely to be active or
passive participants in her abduction. The professor agreed that
the initiation rituals include the shaving of the head and the
'scarification' of both the face and body and that this "definitely
does continue to occur."
The professor said that whether or not the
abduction would be permanent relates to the cult's conception of
destiny. As such, if the gods of the cult are understood to have
directed a certain destiny for a person, that will be the person's
destiny until the gods are seen to have directed otherwise. The
professor said that there is "always a little room for changing
one's destiny," but that is more theoretical than real since
"history has shown [an abduction] is most likely a permanent
situation." She also stated that the paying of some form of ransom
to the gods through the cult could secure the release of someone
who had been abducted.
The professor also stated that if a person
were able to escape from the community and flee to an urban centre,
the cult's "arm could reach into that centre." She said that it was
not uncommon for cult members to go to urban centres to perform
rituals and that it was "quite likely" they would use their urban
contacts to pursue someone who had escaped. However, she said if
the woman were educated then she could have contacts, or an
understanding of the urban setting, that would help her evade
recapture.
The following information was provided
during a 19 January 1999 telephone interview with a Professor of
English at Central Michigan University who specializes in West
African cultures. She stated that it is possible in traditional Ewe
practices for females to be abducted in order to be married to
priests. However, she said that it would be unlikely if the
abduction involved a woman in her thirties with "any exposure to
education" or travels outside of the local community. For the
abduction to be successful the "whole community would have to
approve" and the woman would have to be willing, convinced, or
unwilling/unable to flee. She said that if a woman possessed some
education, or some exposure to life beyond the local community, she
would be aware of the possibility of flight that would make a
successful abduction unlikely. Nevertheless, the professor did say
that if those persons involved in the abduction had 'political
power,' locally or otherwise, the woman might have reason to fear
the consequences her flight would have on her family. This could
involve "the power to threaten her family and their lives."
The professor also stated that initiation
rituals in many African cultures do involve 'scarification' or the
cutting of the body and/or face. It often represents the
introduction of the initiate to their new culture. The shaving of
the head is also not unusual in ceremonies of a religious nature,
often representing the cleansing of the initiate. However, the
professor added that a reluctance to undergo these rituals on the
part of an initiate would indicate a level of education, or an
awareness of outside practices, that would make a successful
initiation and/or related abduction unlikely.
This Response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is
not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any
particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Bowling Green State University, Bowling
Green Ohio. 19 and 22 January 1999. Telephone interview with a
Professor of History.
Central Michigan University, Mount
Pleasant. 19 January 1999. Telephone interview with a Professor of
English.
Ohio State University, Columbus. 19
January 1999. Telephone interview with a Professor of Music and
Culture.