Acts Of Activism

Acts of Activism: Human Rights as Radical Performance by D. Soyini Madison obviously brought up questions of the situation in Africa, specifically that of Ghana. The book also brought to mind questions of other religions and my privilege when it comes to my access to water and the right to defend myself when it comes to domestic abuse. Though I had some issues with the stylistic choices of the book, I thought the topics and acts of activism that Madison highlighted were quite shocking and pushed the reader to reflect on their own life. The reaction that I had to the stylistic setup of this book was “What am I reading now?”. I found Madison’s choice in splitting up the Trokosi and Human Rights Acts took away from the connections that these …show more content…
There are two ways that people can talk about these topics, good or bad. When it comes to the Trokosi/Troxovi practice can be seen as “an ugly stain on the modern state and modern ways of Ghanaian people” or it can be “argued that the practice protects and honors women as it upholds the religious traditions” (Madison, 2010, pg. 59). The Trokosi practice is seen as the bad. In the region where the women who are given to the shrine as appeasement for the gods, the women “work day and night farming, fetching water, cleaning…performing whatever labors the priest demands” (Madison, 2010, 36). Not only are they forced to work, they are sometimes not fed properly, refused and education, and sexually abused by the priest of the shrine, being forced to have children by the priest (Madison, 2010). The Troxovi and the practices that surround that name are seen as good. In the region of Ghana, the Troxovi are given an education, in areas such as “history, domesticity, and spiritual well-being” (Madison, 2010, p. 62). This women are even allowed the “freedom of movement to come and go as they please” (Madison, 2010, p. 62). The most striking difference in the practices is if a priest was “to molest a Fiashidi [it] would be considered a crime” (Madison, 2010, p. 63). The women are also allowed to marry, but “the man must prove himself worthy” (Madison, …show more content…
Just as different regions of Ghana practice a different style of Trokosi/Troxovi, different regions of the Middle East practice different styles of Islam, from the extremists, to the Shi’a, to the Sunni. In order to really understand and to make a difference one needs to go for a deeper understanding of these practices just as Madison does when it comes to the Trokosi/Troxovi practice in Ghana. I think if people tried to get a deeper understanding of Islam and the different ways it is practiced they would see that the religion is not inherently bad, and they could come together to tackle the real issue, the