Mafi Dove: The Ghanaian Village Where Childbirth Is Banned

Africa is a continent of so many traditions, and while some are great, some are quiet ancient. It may surprise you that there's a place in Ghana called Mafi-Dove, a village where a ban on childbirth exists.

Inside Mafi Dove: a village where childbirth is banned

Mafi Dove is a village standing in Central Tongu District of the Volta Region, located along the Accra- Aflao road in Ghana. According to Face2Face, an elder of the committee named Kwame Tsiditse Gbenua told BBC that a voice from the sky instructed a founding ancestor that the land is holy while he was on a hunting trip. Hence, because of the holiness of the land, there would be no birthing on the land. In addition, there would be no rearing of animals or burials.

Unfortunately, the people who feel the bite of this tradition are mostly women. To give birth, you have to walk a very long distance or quickly get transported out of the village before they can give birth. Simply put, no single member of the community was born on the soil of Mafi-Dove. Neither is there a single domestic animal roaming the lands of this community unless such an animal has wings.

However, the younger women in the community are calling for the end of this tradition to enable them to give birth in their homes. Hannah Kosinah, a female member of Mafi-Dove, has pleaded to the chief that this tradition should be done away with. She added that other communities with similar traditions have discontinued because of modern times.

Due to harsh consequences, people obey these customs and traditions. Nobody wants to be the one that will anger the gods. Usually, sometimes all it takes is for one person to stand up against the tradition, encouraging others to break out of their fear, but whether this will happen in Mafi-Dove remains to be seen.

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Face2Face Africa, BBC