Source of the text: Pageant of Ghana By: Freda Wolfson Year: 1958
Snails are valuable protein source among the forest people. In the district of Ahafo (Ghana), lies one of the richest areas for snail catching in Ghana. During the snail hunting season, whole villages –men, women and children –migrate into the forest, leaving only the old to look after their homes. Everyone goes out each morning, returning late in the evening with their baskets with their catch of live snails. Women carry out the processing of collected snails including smashing, drying and smoking.
The old men and chiefs in Ahafo are in charge of the conservation of snail stocks. These measures are represented in fixing the hunting season and giving permissions for strangers to collect snails on payment. The conservation includes taking the tough decisions whenever required. For example, the old men and chiefs in Ahafo decided to ban the snail-catching in 1924 for three years based on their fear of the possibility of the complete destruction of the snail stocks.
