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Dana Romaroff: Wife of the God

Image Copyright © Dana Romaroff - All Rights Reserved
Since starting TTP blog, I've researched many photographers' projects and as a result, have learnt of new and intriguing practices, cultures and rituals. This is one of such projects.

Dana Romanoff's background in cultural studies is evident in her work. Her recent series, "Wife of the God", addresses a controversial religious practice among the Ewe people in West Africa. Families suffering misfortune bring their young girls to traditional shrines to "marry the god" in order to reconcile for crimes committed by ancestors. The women are called "Fiashidi," which means "wife of the god", The shrine serves as a moral and educational institution in the town that helps prevent premarital sex and crime.

These women are also known as Trokosi, and this religious practice involves a period of servitude lasting up to 3 years. A virgin girl, sometimes under the age of 10, but often in her teens, is given by her family to work and be trained in traditional religion at a fetish shrine for a period lasting between several weeks and 3 years as a means of atonement for an allegedly heinous crime committed by a member of the girl's family. The girl becomes the property of the shrine god, and undergoes instruction in the traditional indigenous religion. She helps with the upkeep of the shrine. The practice explicitly forbids a Trokosi or Fiashidi to engage in sexual activity or contact during her atonement period. In the past, there were reports that the priests subjected the girls to sexual abuse; however, while instances of abuse may occur on a case-by-case basis, there is no evidence that sexual or physical abuse is an ingrained or systematic part of the practice.

Although the "Wife of the God" project has the most riveting photographs, Dana's website has other interesting projects, which I encourage you to visit.

Here's Dana Romaroff website.