Reconsidering Samuel: A Mental Health Caretaker at a Ghanaian Prayer Camp

This essay is intended to challenge popular and academic narratives of prayer camps in Ghana as being inherently inhumane. It is based on two years of Master’s thesis research and six trips to one prayer camp in particular, where I observed the daily routines of the camp and interviewed staff who care for people with mental illness. I aim to contextualize what is currently known about patients and staff at Ghanaian prayer camps within Ghana’s broader social, political, religious, and medical landscapes. To do so, I call upon my own experience interacting with one caretaker in particular: Samuel.