Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Africa: Witch doctors and politicians intertwined
Spero News ^ | 1/13/2010 | Martyn Drakard

Posted on 01/13/2010 6:15:52 AM PST by markomalley

Are witch-doctors still part of the anecdotal, primitive folk-lore of Africa? Yes, they are. The witch-doctor, however, does not feature in the safari package; he is still a nasty reality, who holds many people helpless in his “supernatural” grip. His “shrine” isn’t to be seen in the picture post-cards; it is hidden in the forest. His rags, shaggy hair and paraphernalia have not started a fashion craze; they are dirty and ugly. Yet, he is feared.

The Ugandan government, according to a recent BBC report, is worried about the increase of witch-craft, witch-doctors, and, consequently, the human sacrifices, especially children.

Hasn’t Uganda joined the 21st century, enjoying 25 years of peace and material/technological development, after the nightmare years of the 1970s and early 1980s, and the AIDS epidemic? And isn’t witchcraft associated with poverty, ignorance and superstition? Yet, the country’s economy is bouncing ahead at 6-7 per cent annually. More children than ever attend school; health facilities, though severely stretched, are available to more people. Churches and mosques are packed with people. So, why does the country seem to be going backwards in this area? The government attributes it to prosperity; yes, prosperity. This needs an explanation.

In Uganda, as elsewhere in Africa, image matters; how one behaves in the street, at the village meeting, the absolutely right dress and manners for the right occasion, which is as it should be. Ugandans are often scandalised at the loose talk and behaviour of some Western youth and young adults. Respectability is key. Every mother of a family, even though she lives in a mud hut, will bring out her silk gown, the “gomesi”, and fancy slippers for a special occasion.

With peace comes prosperity, and with prosperity greater expectations: not just a school but the best school available; no longer a reconditioned car, but a new one, a four-wheel drive, if possible; a brick cottage must yield to a two-storey house with verandah and garden in the green, hilly outskirts of Kampala. Many people, it seems, can’t climb fast enough.

Ugandans are, like the vast majority of Africans, very religious people, worshipping either God, or offering sacrifices to the spirits, or both, in pursuit of what they want and need. Occasionally the priests on Sundays will tell the faithful, to a reception of embarrassed titters, not to go to the witch-doctor’s shrine after they attend Mass, just in case…………..Just in case their prayers at church are not answered, fully and quickly.

It is inconsistent of some leaders to condemn witchcraft and witch-doctors, since they have recourse to them too: to get a plot of land, to cast a spell on a rival, to make a certain woman fertile or barren, to find a magical solution to a tough problem. And the witch-doctors oblige, provided they are well paid. Some openly Christian politicians will defend their attending such shrines because, they say, it is part of their traditional way of life, and to reach out to all their constituents.

For a big favour, the witch-doctor demands a big sacrifice: the biggest is a child, male or female, virgin, innocent, unspoiled by life. This is why children sometimes go missing. Occasionally body parts are found, especially head and heart. Very often this crime reaches the local media, and witchdoctors are arrested, or beaten to death by an angry mob. A further inconsistency is that the Witchcraft Act of 1931, with its penalties for witch-doctors, is hardly ever applied, as if the authorities fear them too.

Another reason is Uganda’s quickly-rising population, one of the highest birth-rates in the world. With more people come more witch-doctors and more needing their services. Education and evangelization are not enough to eradicate them overnight. Most Ugandans are uneasy with the existence of witch-doctors and people of all backgrounds still relying on them. Yet, because of their supposed supernatural powers, especially the “curse”, many cannot bring themselves to displease them. At most they will ignore them or laugh them off.

Finally, there is still confusion between herbal medicine and witch-craft, between genuine medicine-men and witch-doctors. Once, witch-doctors were also medicine-men, prescribing herbal medicines before the arrival of Western medicines. They were the only practitioners of this art, who knew every plant, bush, shrub and grass and its medicinal value. Now, Christian herbal doctors have learnt these skills and are replacing witch-doctors, but many people don’t know this, or prefer not to know, just in case…………..

So, is belief in the powers of the witch-doctor a sign of Africa’s backwardness, since this phenomenon is spread across the whole continent? Or is it, perhaps, an indication of a misplaced and exploited religiosity?


TOPICS: Catholic; Mainline Protestant; Other Christian; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: childsacrifice; curse; evil; humansacrifice; magic; magicalthinking; pureevil; sacrifices; spellcasting; spells; uganda; witch; witchcraft; witchdoctor; witchdoctors; witches

1 posted on 01/13/2010 6:15:53 AM PST by markomalley
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: markomalley
Is this a form of Religious Fundamentalism in Africa?

I ask because according to the MSM, it is Religiously Intolerant Christians(especially if they are of the Caucasian persuasion) who are to blame for everything that goes wrong in this world!

2 posted on 01/13/2010 6:22:52 AM PST by wmileo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wmileo

They are still too close to the soil and old habits just do not die easily.


3 posted on 01/13/2010 6:34:36 AM PST by himno hero
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: markomalley
Witch doctors and politicians intertwined

Anyone who's ever seen The View has known that to be true.


4 posted on 01/13/2010 6:35:42 AM PST by edpc (Those Lefties just ain't right)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wmileo

You have to remember , once you get out of the modern towns, all africa is still ruled by the chiefs by day and their counterpart the chiefs of the (darkness) night...

These feudal kingdoms continue to exist and has hampered their progress cuzz no one can get ahead of the chiefs/kings. NO ONE can have more friends, ideas, success, than the “kings”. They will not have their influence diminished.

This includes the use of murder to keep the social structure in order.


5 posted on 01/13/2010 6:39:45 AM PST by himno hero
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: markomalley

‘Is this a sign of Africa’s backwardness?’ Um, is there any other way to look at this? Human sacrifices to appease the pagan gods ...


6 posted on 01/13/2010 7:09:01 AM PST by bboop (We don't need no stinkin' VAT)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: markomalley

The same is true here in America. The witch doctors are the ones wearing the union lapel buttons reading ACORN, SEIU, etc.


7 posted on 01/13/2010 7:23:59 AM PST by MIchaelTArchangel (Is anyone in the 0bama administration competent at anything?!!?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MIchaelTArchangel
The same is true here in America. The witch doctors are the ones wearing the union lapel buttons reading ACORN, SEIU, etc.

We don't even need to extrapolate at all. We have plenty of Wiccans, Santarians, Satanists and New Agers in this country to see an analogue without having to extrapolate into the political realm.

8 posted on 01/13/2010 7:27:59 AM PST by markomalley (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: markomalley

Good news is that Christianity is growing in Africa, and with the Catholic, Evangelical, and Anglican as the front runners.


9 posted on 01/13/2010 9:03:01 AM PST by Biggirl (Jim,You Are In My Prayers.=^..^==^..^==^..^==^..^==^..^=)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson