Within Burkina Faso
Why Are Older Women So Often Accused?
Gender inequality, bereavement, family conflict and property disputes often shape who is blamed and who can safely resist.
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- Widowhood, age and social vulnerability
- Family rivalry inside extended households
- Property, inheritance and the benefits of expulsion
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Introduction
In Burkina Faso, older women are not accused of witchcraft because age itself is believed to create supernatural powers. Rather, age often coincides with social conditions that make a woman especially vulnerable when a family or community searches for someone to blame after illness, death or other misfortune. Research consistently shows that the people most often accused are widows, women living without strong male protection, those in polygynous households, or women who have become socially isolated. The accusation is therefore as much about power, inheritance and family relationships as it is about belief in witchcraft. Ethnographic research, human rights reporting and government records all point to the same pattern: the supernatural allegation frequently follows existing social tensions rather than creating them.[usf.edu]digitalcommons.usf.eduOpen source on usf.edu.
Widowhood, age and social vulnerability
The strongest predictor of accusation in Burkina Faso is not simply being female, but being an older woman whose social protection has weakened. Widows frequently lose the support that a husband or influential male relatives once provided. In rural communities, where extended families play a central role in economic life, this change can leave a woman exposed if conflict develops after a death or financial setback.[Digital Commons USF]digitalcommons.usf.eduOpen source on usf.edu.
Anthropological research among Mossi communities found that many accused women shared several characteristics:
- they were elderly;
- they were widowed or living alone;
- they had lived in polygynous households;
- they had limited financial independence;
- they lacked close relatives willing or able to defend them publicly.
None of these characteristics makes accusations inevitable. Instead, they reduce a woman’s ability to resist or challenge claims once suspicion begins to spread.[Digital Commons USF]digitalcommons.usf.eduOpen source on usf.edu.
Older women may also become vulnerable because they are no longer viewed primarily through their productive or reproductive roles. While elders are respected in many Burkinabè communities, social status is not equally distributed. Women who have become economically dependent, physically frail or socially isolated may find that customary respect offers less protection during periods of grief or conflict.[Digital Commons USF]digitalcommons.usf.eduOpen source on usf.edu.
Family rivalry inside extended households
Most accusations do not emerge from strangers. Research indicates that disputes within families often provide the immediate setting in which witchcraft claims arise.
Following an unexpected death, relatives frequently seek an explanation that goes beyond medical causes. If tensions already exist between co-wives, daughters-in-law, brothers or other relatives, longstanding disagreements may be reinterpreted as evidence of hidden supernatural hostility. A woman who was previously regarded as difficult, outspoken or unpopular may suddenly be portrayed as having caused illness through witchcraft.[Digital Commons USF]digitalcommons.usf.eduOpen source on usf.edu.
This process illustrates an important feature of witchcraft accusations. The accusation rarely begins with objective evidence. Instead, grief, uncertainty and existing family disagreements create conditions in which rumours become persuasive. Once respected community members or traditional authorities accept the possibility of witchcraft, denying the allegation may become extremely difficult because the supposed crime is invisible and impossible to disprove.[Digital Commons USF]digitalcommons.usf.eduOpen source on usf.edu.
Researchers who interviewed accused women found that many described years of family conflict before any allegation appeared. In this sense, witchcraft accusations often represent the culmination of deteriorating relationships rather than a sudden response to a single event.[Digital Commons USF]digitalcommons.usf.eduOpen source on usf.edu.
Property, inheritance and the benefits of expulsion
Material interests frequently reinforce supernatural accusations.
Human rights reports have repeatedly documented cases in which widows were accused by male relatives who subsequently claimed control over land, homes or other inherited property. Removing a widow from the family compound can simplify inheritance disputes while allowing the accusation to appear morally justified rather than financially motivated.[ecoi.net]ecoi.netUSDOS – US Department of State (Author): “2022 Country Report on Human Rights Practices: Burkina Faso”, Document #2089213 - ecoi.net…
The practical consequences for accused women can be severe:
- expulsion from their village;[researchgate.net]researchgate.netWomen are accused, deprived of their livelihood, violently expelled from their villages, and permanently socially…
- abandonment by relatives;
- loss of housing and farmland;
- physical assault or public humiliation;
- relocation to shelters or solidarity centres.
Government and charitable organisations have long operated centres that provide refuge for women unable to return safely to their communities. Their existence reflects the persistence of accusations despite legal protections.[ecoi.net]ecoi.netUSDOS – US Department of State (Author): “Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2015 - Burkina Faso”, Document #1327838 - ecoi.net…
The economic dimension also explains why accusations disproportionately affect women with few resources. A wealthy or well-connected woman may have relatives capable of challenging rumours, while an isolated widow may lack both financial means and influential defenders. The accusation therefore succeeds partly because of unequal power within families.[Digital Commons USF]digitalcommons.usf.eduOpen source on usf.edu.
Why older women are easier to blame
Anthropologists caution against interpreting the pattern as evidence that communities simply fear old age. Instead, older women often occupy a position where several vulnerabilities overlap.
These include:
- reduced physical strength;
- dependence on younger relatives;
- limited access to formal legal protection;
- weaker inheritance rights in practice;
- diminished influence within changing family structures.
When a child dies unexpectedly or another unexplained tragedy occurs, communities searching for certainty may choose someone who is unlikely to retaliate successfully. In this sense, the accusation reflects social inequality as much as religious belief.[Digital Commons USF]digitalcommons.usf.eduOpen source on usf.edu.
Researchers also note that accusations rarely target people with significant political or economic power. The pattern suggests that vulnerability influences who becomes the alleged witch, even when many people share similar beliefs about supernatural harm.[Digital Commons USF]digitalcommons.usf.eduOpen source on usf.edu.
What this pattern reveals about witchcraft accusations
The consistent targeting of older women has led scholars to interpret these accusations as a form of social persecution rather than simply a reflection of traditional belief. Belief in witchcraft may provide the language used to explain misfortune, but the selection of the accused often follows familiar social fault lines involving gender, age, authority and property.[Digital Commons USF]digitalcommons.usf.eduOpen source on usf.edu.
Burkina Faso has criminalised the abuse of women accused of witchcraft and has supported awareness campaigns and protection programmes. Nevertheless, human rights organisations continue to document cases in which elderly women are threatened, displaced or stripped of property after allegations emerge. Laws alone cannot eliminate accusations when the underlying pressures—bereavement, insecurity, family rivalry and unequal power—remain unresolved.[ecoi.net]ecoi.netUSDOS – US Department of State (Author): “2022 Country Report on Human Rights Practices: Burkina Faso”, Document #2089213 - ecoi.net…
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Why Are Older Women So Often Accused?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The Penguin book of witches
First published 2014. Subjects: Witchcraft, History, Witchcraft, europe.
Half the sky
First published 2009. Subjects: Sociology, New York Times bestseller, Crimes against, Case studies, Nonfiction.
Endnotes
1.
Source: digitalcommons.usf.edu
Link:https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/8919/
2.
Source: ecoi.net
Link:https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/2089213.html
Source snippet
USDOS – US Department of State (Author): “2022 Country Report on Human Rights Practices: Burkina Faso”, Document #2089213 - ecoi.net...
3.
Source: ecoi.net
Link:https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/1327838.html
Source snippet
USDOS – US Department of State (Author): “Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2015 - Burkina Faso”, Document #1327838 - ecoi.net...
4.
Source: ecoi.net
Link:https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/1395206.html
Source snippet
USDOS – US Department of State (Author): “Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2016 - Burkina Faso”, Document #1395206 - ecoi.net...
5.
Source: ecoi.net
Link:https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/1150308.html
6.
Source: ecoi.net
Link:https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/1109926.html
7.
Source: ecoi.net
Link:https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/1328733.html
8.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/402411065_Violence_Gender_and_Poverty_in_the_Context_of_Sweba_Accusations_in_Burkina_Faso
Source snippet
Women are accused, deprived of their livelihood, violently expelled from their villages, and permanently socially...
Additional References
9.
Source: shs.cairn.info
Link:https://shs.cairn.info/revue-gerontologie-et-societe-2023-1-page-73?lang=fr&tab=texte-integral
Source snippet
* et Touré, M. (2023). Sorcellerie des femmes âgées et mobilisations citoyennes au Burkina Faso. Gérontologie et société. 45 / n° 170(1...
10.
Source: globalafricasciences.org
Title: art-10-07-en | GA Sciences
Link:https://www.globalafricasciences.org/fr/issue-10/art-10-07-en
Source snippet
June 20, 2025 — Critical issues SHELTERS FOR “WITCHES”, SAFE SPACES AND PRODUCERS OF PROTECTIVE KNOWLEDGE: THE SOCIAL REINTEGRATION OF PE...
Published: June 20, 2025
11.
Source: globalafricasciences.org
Title: art-10-07-en | GA Sciences
Link:https://www.globalafricasciences.org/issue-10/art-10-07-en
Source snippet
June 20, 2025 — SHELTERS FOR “WITCHES”, SAFE SPACES AND PRODUCERS OF PROTECTIVE KNOWLEDGE: THE SOCIAL REINTEGRATION OF PEOPLE ACCUSED OF...
Published: June 20, 2025
12.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFTtvCW4UcE
Source snippet
Inside Kukuo witches camp: "My son only came to check if I was dead."...
13.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Accused of Witchcraft: Returning to the Village After 15 Years of Exile
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfTZg2JmQk8
Source snippet
Prof Monica Tetzlaff: Alleged Witches Camps, Outcast Homes or Pwaanyankura-foango...
14.
Source: loc.gov
Link:https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2012-05-29/burkina-faso-government-plans-support-for-women-accused-of-witchcraft-while-others-call-for-legislation/
15.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Ghanian Witches | National Geographic
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUobNV1_w14
Source snippet
Attention on violence linked to witchcraft accusations in parts of the Eastern Cape...
16.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342898556_Who%27s_the_witch_Social_exclusion_of_older_Mossi_women_accused_of_Witchcraft_in_Burkina_Faso_Africa
17.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371778201_Sorcellerie_des_femmes_agees_et_mobilisations_citoyennes_au_Burkina_Faso
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Source: genderopen.de
Link:https://www.genderopen.de/25595/2887
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