Ann-Christine Woehrl
Witches in Exile
Photo exhibition of women from Ghana stigmatized and outcast as witches.
April 21 - May 27, 2023
■ In 43 countries worldwide, women are accused of witchcraft. In Ghana, superstition and witchcraft persecution are still widespread. Hundreds of women are accused of witchcraft every year and forced to leave their families. They find refuge in specially founded villages, mostly older and widowed women, but also younger ones with their children.
■ Be it the death of a relative, a bad dream, droughts or illness, any conceivable kind of misfortune is enough to find someone to blame, not least to cope with their own fears. Stories circulate of economically successful women who were denounced, persecuted and tortured by relatives or other envious people, and only the escape to remote villages saved their lives.
■ The German-French photographer Ann-Christine Woehrl visited them in the villages of Gambaga and Gushiegu, took their portraits and recorded their stories. Her large-format images against a black background give the stigmatized and persecuted women back their dignity.
■ Ann-Christine Woehrl studied photography in Paris and worked as an assistant for photojournalists David Turnley and Reza, as well as at the Magnum agency. The focus of her work is on social issues, women’s rights and religions in Latin America.
At Centre Culturel Français Freiburg, Im Kornhaus, Münsterplatz 11
Mo, Di, Do 9:00 – 17:15, Mi 10:00 – 17:15, Sa 10:00 – 13:00 am 22.04. u. 06.05.