No matter how educated and how scientific or even spiritual our people can become, not too many can escape the fear of the bad spell of witchcraft. Despite technological and scientific as well as medical advances, the subject and the reality of witch craft is not going to go away in our societies anytime soon. I personally cannot over estimate the extent of witchcraft in out societies, yet at the same time it would be unrealistic not to acknowledge that there are some people who are "into" this practice. One way or the other.
The mere mention of the subject of witchcraft brings a broad debate about our way of life and beliefs as African people in general. I must be clear that witchcraft is not only limited to our community alone. There are a many communities that believes and practice witchcraft all over the world. At the top of my head are Indians and some black people in the Caribbean Islands and some southern states of the US, like Louisiana French quarters area. I must also be clear that while practicing any form of spiritualism is should not be labeled as witchcraft.
A well known Zimbabwean online publication recently released story somewhere in Midlands area where a man is being charged with murder after he performed a witch hunt ritual which left two people dead. It is said that the man offered everybody some "holy water" substance of which he warned that if anybody was involved in killing the a certain deceased girl in question, he or she should not drink the holy water, but if they do they risk dying there and there. It is said that after everybody who was in the house drank that substance, two people died there and there.This is a case that is the hands of the police right now as I speak. That man two conducted the witch hunt stands charged with murdering two people.
Growing up in rural areas myself there are many myths and stories about witch craft that went around the village/s that still stands out to me to this very day. I remember one family of a young boy I went to the same class with. This family became victims of a witch hunt practice. A witch hunter, profeti or nyanga kind of spiritual seer was called to the village and he kind of sniffed that my classmate's family were "witches". I do not know if they were witches or not. I cannot testify for or against but either way, this poor family was moved to an area reserved only for the "witches " In my mind I still question the whole exercise, what if the seer/ nyanga was wrong? Those people had no where to appeal. The seer's decision was final. Just like that!
The biggest Misconceptions about witchcraft
One of the saddest misconceptions about witch craft in my opinion in our culture today is poverty and age. For some unknown evil reason, a lot of people in the African continent would assume that a poor person of a certain age is a witch. For example, is your mother, aunt or neighbor is blessed to rich a certain age, but they are poor, everybody would want to assume that they are practicing witchcraft. I remember some years back when I was back home in Bulawayo, commuting on a "emergency taxi' when the driver and his assistant narrowly missed an old woman in Makokoba Stanley square area. This young driver took the liberty to insult this poor woman whom he almost knocked over by his kombi car. He goes on to take out this head and insult her, in a manner that implied that she was a witch!
Knowing my citizen's rights I refused to pay until she apologized to the old lady. To make matters worse when he insulted that lady, the whole Kombi laughed, as if it was funny! Well when he could not stop and apologize, I went my way without paying. I told him that I personally offended at such an appalling behavior. That could have well been a dangerous situation, but I for one more than fearing for my safety. I could not have lived with myself, if I had let that kind of behavior go free. The least I could do was to make statement, but as you will know, I cannot change people's mentalities, neither can anyone of us.
Is witchcraft real, or its just a mere belief?
How much do you spend a year just to be protected from the evil spell of witchcraft? Join me next time, this is just the beginning. I will leave no stone un turned. To be continued!
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