The English philosopher and retired army officer, Major HC Charles, held that all living things aspire to be human, drawn up through the process of evolution rather than pushed down by natural selection and the survival of the fittest. . Charles explained the phenomenon of fairies by saying that they were leftovers 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 far more powerful, widely believed in, and almost universally feared.
Charles’s theory is unlikely to become part of conventional wisdom, but it encompasses a logic that might be better understood in Africa than in Europe or America. Fetish religions in Ghana acknowledge 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 manifest human intelligence and the power of swift movement. These are exactly the qualities claimed for the Mmoatia.
Mmoatia are said to be creatures of the forest, less than 30 centimeters tall, black, red or white in color and with backward-pointing feet. They are very active and capable of moving quickly and silently over long distances. A Ghanaian on Facebook, who calls himself the King of the Mmoatia (Nana Mmoatia Hene), took the name: OboaNipa, he helps people, but most Ghanaians wouldn’t see the Mmoatia as people who help human beings. . On the contrary, the Mmoatia are believed to steal food and palm wine, and most terrifyingly, they steal babies in order to produce more Mmoatia.
Mmoatia are said to do the bidding of witches and fetish priests. In a case observed by the author in Kumasi, a man was rendered mute by working on the dabone, on the day of evil, when work is prohibited. Communicating in writing, the victim claimed to be held captive by a Mmoatia tribe that was at war with another tribe that was assisting an evangelical or charismatic priest. This could imply that there are friendly and hostile mmoatia, but in the case at hand, the friendly tribe was unable to help. The victim’s speech was restored only after she traveled to the place where the offense had been committed and made sacrifices to the local gods.
Mmoatia are very real to many people in Ghana as they are associated with real events in their lives. You may not be familiar with Major Charles’s theory, but if you were, you might regret that the tropical climate produces such large trees and such powerful and malevolent fairies.
