The Witchcraft Issue in Africa: Comment

‘If entrepreneurs refuse to expand their business because of the fear of envy leading to witchcraft attacks then the whole country is suffering as a result of this belief system’

Sefa-Dadeh (2004: 101)

• What does Sefa-Dedeh mean?

Witchcraft is based on a belief system that has implications for development

How Deep: Rooted: ‘Juju in Black Stars camp is nothing new’

- Coach Milovan Rajevac

Former coach of the national team … has added his voice to the use of black magic by some players in the Black Stars team..

.. coach Goran Stevanovic claimed in his report to the Ghana Football Association that players used black magic against each other during the Nations Cup. .. Goran Stevanovic stated .. "we all need to help in changing some players' mentality about using black power to destroy themselves and also make sure we install discipline and respect for each other."

Witchcraft : Use/Abuse of Psychic Powers Witchcraft: possession and exercise of personal spiritual

or psychic powers for good or evil. Such powers may be inherent or acquired.

It is believed that while God, deities, ancestors, wild spirits, etc. are sources of misfortune, it can also come from man’s malice. Those responsible: an associate, a relative (spouse, child, parent).

Such misfortune may take any form – failure in social or economic ventures, illness, accidents, injury, death etc.

• It’s believed that some people have powerful spirits that do strange things – fly, change into dangerous animals, carry out nocturnal misadventures etc.

Witchcraft and Sorcery Witchcraft: psychic & spiritual, modus operandi not visible to the ordinary eye.

Characteristics vary from society to society. In some societies. It can be involuntary(Azande case): a witch may not know s/he is responsible for the harm caused to others. But some witches are aware.

Sorcery – ‘juju’, which is equally harmful, is based on learnt techniques and manipulation of objects.

In both cases proof is often hard to come by; much is based on suspicion or what a witch doctor or diviner says. Occasionally there is self-confession.

Pervasiveness of Witchcraft W-craft beliefs go back a long way in human history; some scholars see them as unscientific searches for causality or explanation of uncanny phenomena?

W-craft answers the question why certain misfortunes happen.

Science can answer the question how but not always the why. The why: the remote cause, may not be self-evident. Yet people need answers.

This quest explains persistence of w-craft beliefs even among scientifically educated people.

Churches and Witchcraft: Hilarious Church Posters

Academic Concerns From our point of view the question is not whether witchcraft exists or not, or whether witches are capable of the harm that others or they themselves claim.

What is significant is the effect of the beliefs on society. This makes it a developmental issue.

W-craft beliefs can have positive & negative socio-economic implications.

W-craft has gender implications;

It affects community life & individual participation as well as choices.

The negative effects of w-craft outweigh any good.

Witch-Hunting: Fault-Finding As evidence for guilt is often difficult to establish W-Craft

is inevitably associated with suspicion/accusations.

Who tend to be Accused The highly successful – phenomenal success invites

suspicion of spiritual intervention (even malpractice). The marginalised:

– Women (the childless, widows) etc. Also the orphan.

The anti-social – The cantankerous, the talkative, the reticent, the envious,

those who engage in incest, homosexual intercourse etc.

Extraordinary physique – The deformed, the very ugly, the very beautiful, the red-

eyed etc.

Technically then who can be spared?

Case: Killing a 62-Year Old Widow

Police in Tamale have arrested two people who allegedly battered to death a woman they accused of being a witch. The two accused ... a 62-year-old widow of bewitching a 23-year-old boy, ... in Gilic, a community close to Bunpkrugu [sic] Yunyoo district in the Northern Region. The deceased was said to be in possession of the soul of the 23-year-old for which reason she was subjected to severe beating until she collapsed and died ..

http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201007/49036.asp

Date: July 2010

Case 2: Neglect & Death of 9 Year Old Boy The Takoradi Police have arrested a couple for negli-

gently causing the death of their nine-year-old son. The couple, .. a fisherman, and … [his wife], .. were said to have kept their son indoors on the orders of a spiritualist who said the boy was possessed by witchcraft.

The spiritualist, ... was alleged to have declared that the boy was possessed by witchcraft and ordered that he should be kept in a room until he died.

Madam [X] told the Daily Graphic that for some time the boy always complained of excessive heat and ate abnormally, resulting in his body getting swollen

http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/200804/15297.asp, April, 2008

‘4 Perish in Bizarre fire outbreak’

Daily Graphic

A 45 year old woman, Konadu, at Kwadaso, Kumasi, set fire to a room in which she and three others - her mother, her 14 year old son and a four year old boy, slept. All four perished. She had wished to get even with her mother whom she accused of inflicting illnesses on her.

The culprit who was reportedly suffering from several ailments including asthma, diabetes, hypertension and stomach ulcer had accused her mother of responsibility for her condition and had threatened to kill herself, her mother and her own son. Though she had been talked into desisting from this act, however, on the dawn of 3rd January, 2007, she carried out her threat, locking the door of the bedroom in which they slept, setting the room on fire and hiding the keys to prevent any escapes or rescues

Part of the Witches’ Village/Camp

About four/five witch camps - at the Gambaga, Kukuo, Ngani,

Kpasinkpe and Kpatinga communities, housing a total of 535

women suspected to be witches. According to officials of CHRAJ

The Accusers -Those who suffer calamities.

- Ritual Specialists: Witch doctors & medicine men. Some Pastors & religious people in their healing sessions have attributed illnesses to witches.

- The unsuccessful: people seeking a scapegoat.

- The envious: Those who habour jealousy.

- Competitors: co-wives and work mates, etc.

- Close kin and associates.

The harm due to Witchcraft Beliefs • Witches may be maltreated, ostracised, & even killed;

• A person’s character is defamed without justification;

• Pragmatic solutions to problems are not sought, especially where health or business are concerned;

• Distrust of kin and associates;

• Reluctance to exhibit achievements/talent for fear of arousing suspicion or exposure to attack by witches;

• Dangerous ordeals & procedures may be used in the search for the Witch;

• Witchcraft marginalises the marginalised.

Schooling Rights: W-craft and Education

**Your mother being labelled a witch can affected your schooling and prospects in life.

‘The mother of Zoyen Teiya, a resident of Zanerigu in the Talensi-Nabdam district, was accused of being a witch when she was in Primary Four. Stigmatization and discrimination by her mates compelled her to move from school to school ... She continued to suffer discrimination.... until she finally dropped out of school at the basic level. At 22, Zoyen Teiya was impregnated by a man who later abandoned her when he was told that [she] was a witch ...’ http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/200804/14926.asp

Any Positives? • The association of the weak with witchcraft may

result in the powerful not abusing the rights of the weak for fear of being bewitched;

• The demands of the vulnerable may be attended to, to avoid possibility of bewitchment;

• Promotes an egalitarian society by discouraging the flaunting / obscene display of wealth.

• Promotes psychic healing: some of the cases attributed to w-craft may be psychic in nature and amenable to treatment by witch doctors.