By Tim Binnall
Residents of a village in Ghana are on edge following four mysterious deaths which many believe were brought about by a construction project that desecrated a pair of revered locations within their community. The curious case reportedly began in early July in the community of Emena when a developer inexplicably carved a path through a cemetery and a "sacred space" where, resident Kofi Boateng explained, "our chiefs perform annual rituals for the welfare of the town." The seemingly haphazard construction project resulted in bodies inadvertently being exhumed from the graveyard and the destruction of the sanctified spot which had been a central part of the community for over four centuries.
As one might imagine, residents of the village were aghast when they discovered what had been done, though the developer insisted that they had the proper authorization for the audacious project. While that matter is being investigated by authorities, community members are living in fear following what they say are a series of strange deaths which have occurred ever since the cemetery and sacred space were desecrated. The peculiar passings of four individuals described as "energetic youth who showed no signs of illness" has led many to suspect that some kind of curse was unleashed by the developer.
"We, the youth in the community, believe that the destruction of these two sites have angered our ancestors, causing these deaths," declared Boateng. As such, concerned residents are calling on the village elders to perform the necessary rituals to assuage the displeased deities and have expressed consternation that a month has passed without any attempts at making such amends. It is uncertain what is causing the delay, though one imagines that the ceremonies will be conducted soon as those responsible for cleansing the two locations are under considerable pressure to do since officials have prohibited burials in the cemetery until the rituals are performed.