Ghana Life: Trees, Fairies and Mmoatia

The English philosopher and retired army officer, Major HC Charles, argued that all living things aspire to be human, drawn upward through the process of evolution rather than pushed from below by natural selection and survival of the fittest. . Charles explained the phenomenon of fairies by saying that they were what was left over from the creation of a tree. In England, fairies are regarded, even by those who believe in them, as harmless, often benevolent creatures who bring a small coin to children who have lost a milk tooth. But in Ghana the trees are more than twice the size of English trees, and the fairies, called mmoatia, are much more powerful, widely believed in, and almost universally feared.

Charles’s theory is unlikely to become part of the conventional wisdom, but it encompasses a logic that might be better understood in Africa than in Europe or America. Fetish religions in Ghana recognize that spirits are associated with streams, rocks, and trees. Compared to man, the tree manifests the phenomena of growth, strength and solidity, but what is left over is movement, rational mind and self-awareness. Fairies are mostly invisible, perhaps incorporeal, but they do manifest human intelligence and the power of rapid movement. These are exactly the qualities claimed for the Mmoatia.

Mmoatia are said to be forest creatures, less than a foot tall, black, red or white in color and with their feet pointing backwards. They are very active and capable of moving quickly and silently over long distances. A Ghanaian on Facebook, who calls himself the King of Mmoatia (Nana Mmoatia Hene), took the name: OboaNipa, helps people, but most Ghanaians would not see mmoatia as people who help human beings . On the contrary, the mmoatia are believed to steal food and palm wine and, more terrible, to steal babies to produce more mmoatia.

Mmoatia are said to do the bidding of witches and fetish priests. In a case observed in Kumasi by the author, a man became speechless from working on the dabone, the evil day, when work is prohibited. Communicating in writing, the victim claimed to be a captive of a mmoatia tribe that was at war with another tribe that was aiding an evangelical or charismatic priest. This could imply that there are friendly and hostile mmoatia, but in the case in question, the friendly tribe could not help. The victim’s speech was restored only after she traveled to the place where the offense had been committed and performed sacrifices to the local gods.

Mmoatia are very real to many people in Ghana as they are associated with real events in their lives. They may not be familiar with the Major Charles theory, but if they were, they might lament that the tropical climate produces such large trees and such powerful and malevolent fairies.