Witchcraft and Sorcery
Witchcraft and Sorcery
In some
Central African areas, malicious magic users are believed by locals to be the
source of terminal illness such as AIDS and cancer. In such cases, various
methods (including physical and psychological abuse) are used to rid the person
from the bewitching spirit, and parents discourage their children from
interacting with people believed to be witches. Children may be accused of
being witches, and it is also believed in some regions that witchcraft can be
transmitted to children by feeding. In the recent years, mobs have been
responsible for burnings of suspected witches and “penis-snatchers” in Ghana,
Kenya and particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (where up to
50,000 children have been accused of witchcraft and thrown out of their homes).[1]
Witches and
sorcerers may be either men or women. In some parts of Africa, people
distinguish between witches and sorcerers. They believe that witches are
born with supernatural powers and the ability to hurt others merely by
wishing them ill. Sorcerers, however, are thought to be people of normal
ability who have learned to use magical substances to harm others.
Some people view witchcraft as the dark side of kinship and
possibly the result of aggression and envy within a family. In some African
societies it is said that witches have an urge to eat their relatives.
Many traditional stories tell of witches who leave their bodies at night
and fly off to join others of their kind. At these meetings they turn over
their kin, whose vital parts are devoured in cannibal banquets.[2]
Protection
from Witches
Traditional African defenses
against witchcraft include the use of divination and the services of a
witch doctor. Someone who fears becoming the victim of harmful magic may
seek the help of a diviner who calls on special powers to find out what
the sorcerer has done. Many Africans say that diviners have “a second pair of
eyes”—an extra sense that allows them to “see” witches. The victim may
also need a witch doctor to attack or undo the original witchcraft.[3]
Respected for their great powers,
witch doctors are said to be able to overcome witches and force them to
lift their spells. Sometimes called “superwitches,” they are feared as
well as respected. In southern Cameroon, witch doctors called nganga are
thought to gain their powers by sacrificing one of their parents. Because
of their supernatural powers, witch doctors and diviners are sometimes
accused of doing evil themselves.[4]
Comments
Post a Comment