Witchcraft traces its origins back to before recorded history. Even so, witches remain a misunderstood component of society. To accuse a black man of rape was like to accuse a woman of witchcraft in salem, new england. Magic or at least the belief in magic is commonly used for personal, political, and. Young black women are leaving christianity and embracing african witchcraft in digital covens. There are two main currents of witchcraft practised in the country. According to traditional navajo belief, when a witch travels at night, he wears the skin. Understanding witchcraft accusations in africa jref.
It has been suggested that voodoo in west africa evolved from the ancient traditions of ancestor worship and animism. Even though the degree of african concern about witchcraft was not always appreciated by outsiders, it was possible, at least in centralized societies, for such outsiders to discern the processes that were involved in its control. They have been present or central at various times and in many diverse forms among cultures and religions worldwide, including both primitive and highly advanced cultures, and continue to have an important role in many cultures today. Some people also consult witchdoctors to cure diseases or find a husband. Witchcraft has its roots deep in african history and culture, long before the dawn of colonization.
The first, often termed kamuti kahmooteh, is attributed to the kamba people. Witchcraft, violence, and democracy in south africa, ashforth. Witchcraft and witchhunt have been practiced widely almost all over the world. Witchcraft rituals are practiced in secrecy and often at night. Nov 05, 2018 african american witchcraft originated in west africa, the birthplace of yoruba, a set of religious traditions focused on reverence for ancestors and worship of a vast pantheon of deities known as. Witchcraft and accusations of witchcraft in south africa.
This argument is cemented by gloria waite, from the department of history, university of massachetts, dartmouth, in her report titled traditional medicine and the quest for national identity in zimbabwe. The concept of witchcraft and the belief in its existence have persisted throughout recorded history. In fact, allegations of witchcraft feature in schools across the region. A global history of witchcraft beginning in babylon, the course orients students to an understanding of these subjects as practiced in the premodern world. Africans and westerners experience religion and spirituality in different ways. In london there are churches originating in west africa where belief in witchcraft is extremely strong and is used to terrible, murderous and illegal effect in the disciplining of children. Evolution of witchcraft in africa lack of sufficiently recorded history precludes periodization of the evolution of witchcraft in african societies. Jan 30, 2019 northern nigeria is predominantly muslim, southern nigeria predominantly christian, along with a mix of other religious beliefs. Traditional rituals and witchcraft have a bearing on life and even.
African witchcraft religion, spiritualism, and occult africa is the second largest continent in the world, yet it has a population of only 400 millionjust twothirds that of europe. The similarities between the modern witch hunts of africa and the witch hunts of western europe 300 years ago is uncanny. The same dichotomy between sorcery and witchcraft exists sometimes more ambiguously in the beliefs of many peoples throughout the world. Witchcraft and witchhunts in history nonfiction 90 books. Witches in ancient egypt purportedly used their wisdom and knowledge of amulets, spells, formulas and figures to bend the cosmic powers to their purpose or that of their clients. In some african cultures witches are believed to assemble in cannibal covens.
Rather than disappearing over time, they documented that witchcraft beliefs continued to be of major importance in subsaharan africa ssa and at times even gained vitality ashforth, 1996. During the colonial period, africans developed a rich variety of anti witchcraft tools and procedures, including poison ordeals, in which suspected witches were treated with poison. Salem was a town where a spasm of mass paranoia caused people to hang some twenty women accused of witchcraft. Ashforth examines the dynamics of insecurity in the everyday life of soweto at the turn of the twentyfirst century. The similarities between the modern witch hunts of africa and the witch hunts of. Students of the history of religion have linked several magical practises in islam with preislamic turkish and east african customs. Some years ago a childs torso was found in the thames sorcery was involved and the police traced ritual practices back to nigeria. Belief in witchcraft widespread in africa live science.
Black millennials leave church for african witchcraft. Witchcraft witchcraft in africa and the world britannica. A global history of witchcraft phillips exeter academy. As stephen ellis and gerrie ter haar write in worlds of power, belief in witchcraft is a commonplace, rather than an extraordinary or esoteric, feature of the spiritual beliefs that many africans share. The witchcraft suppression act 3 of 1957 is an act of the parliament of south africa that prohibits various activities related to witchcraft, witch smelling or witchhunting. Witchcraft beliefs are not remnants of premodern cultures but contemporary phenomena embedded in, and partly constituted by. According to traditional navajo belief, when a witch travels at night, he. Throughout history, attempts to control women have masqueraded as crackdowns on witchcraft, and for some people, simply self.
Nov 24, 2017 we see the devouring of the harutummims staffs by aarons staff of god exod 4. Witchcraft still underpins and influences the beliefs, culture, and practices of people in many parts of the world, including africa, asia, the west indies, the caribbean, and north america most notably in the south, in new orleans. In african cultures witches are believed to assemble in cannibal covens, often at graveyards or around a fire, to feast on the blood that they extract from their victims. Witchcraft, the exercise or invocation of alleged supernatural powers to control people or events, practices typically involving sorcery or magic. In similar fashion, and throughout american history, many black men were accused of rape and burned at the stake for just looking at white women. Historically, witchcraft in africa has not comprised a stable or uniform set of beliefs. Aug 30, 2010 in africa, witch doctors are consulted not only for healing diseases, but also for placing curses on rivals. In researching the history of witchcraft for my site, i came across disturbing information about the witch hunts taking place in africa today. Different african tribes refer to witchcraft differently. Afrocentrism, afrocentrism has a long and often misunderstood history.
Voodoo and witchcraft africans and westerners experience. Not to mention the thousands of years of history on top of that. One source has hinted that the bantu of the early iron age had acquired a set of beliefs which attributed evil mostly to human malice. Evanspritchard, witchcraft refers to the belief observed in central africa that certain individuals have the innate ability to cause things to happen by. In witchcraft, violence, and democracy in south africa, adam ashforth examines how people in soweto and other parts of postapartheid south africa manage their fear of evil forces such as witchcraft. Again, witches are typically seen as particularly active after dusk, when lawabiding mortals are asleep. Western beliefs about witchcraft grew largely out of the mythologies and folklore of ancient peoples, especially the egyptians, hebrews, greeks, and romans.
Focusing particular attention on the luo people of kenya. Most black south africans selfidentify as christian and are members of the anglican and roman catholic churches or of the predominantly black zion christian church. The chapters explore a variety of cultural contexts, with contributions focusing on cameroon, central african republic, ghana, mali, ethiopia and eritrean diaspora. African witchcraft article about african witchcraft by.
Throughout history, anxieties about witchcraft running wild have encouraged a search for new forms of protection. With this conceptual foundation, students gain an understanding of the categorization of witchcraft and other questionable or deviant practices during the middle ages through the age. Witchcraft was also fairly widely practised in europe for thousands of years but witch trials and. In africa, witchcraft has played a role in rebellions, fighting wars, gaining independence and is often seen at election time.
Its traditions have developed over thousands of years and experienced a revival in the modern day. Witchcraft in academia in the academic community and the definition posited by social anthropologist e. The origin of witches early witches were people who practiced witchcraft, using. The modern african witchhunts in 2014, a tanzanian human rights group estimated that 500 suspected witches were killed in tanzania annually. It is based on the witchcraft suppression act 1895 of the cape colony, which was in turn based on the witchcraft act 1735 of the united kingdom. Jul 27, 2005 bbc africa live wants to know if it is relevant to you. Bbc africa live wants to know if it is relevant to you. The forms of voodoo practiced today, however, are the results of one of the most inhuman episodes in modern history the african slave trade that took place between the 16 th and 19 th centuries. The theoretical approaches to witchcraft taken by j. In africa those accused of being witches often face execution. Mar 01, 2012 witchcraft belief is a curse on africa. Witchcraft in african cosmological thought supernatural evil and witchcraft are prevalent in the worldview of africans. Magistrates, who themselves believe in witchcraft and regard it as a crime, accept that manifestations of witchcraft are not empirically provable.
Origins of sorcery and witchcraft in africa by prezi user. Wherever belief in witchcraft permeated an african society, fear prevailed and people demanded protection and control. It is bantu witchcraft, similar to that known in south africa and involves the use of charms, muti and spells to achieve the clients ends. Though the concept of witchcraft has been around for. Belief in witchcraft in africa butterflies and wheels. Despite that, africa has more than 1,000 ethnic groups and 6,000 different tribes, each with its own lifestyle, language, religion, and social customs.
African american witchcraft originated in west africa, the birthplace of yoruba, a set of religious traditions focused on reverence for ancestors and worship of a vast pantheon of deities known as. The definition of witchcraft varies by culture, religion and time period in history. In general, witchcraft, when used in the context of african history, refers to the use of various substances or objects believed to have occult powers by individual. Black millennials leave church for african witchcraft the atlantic. Witchcraft witchcraft witchcraft in africa and the world. Northern nigeria is predominantly muslim, southern nigeria predominantly christian, along with a mix of other religious beliefs. Witchcraft today todays witchcraft beliefs and practices are as much products of modern dynamics as they are informed by longstanding tradition. Krige 1947 in reference to the lovedu, monica wilson 1951 in her comparison of the mpondo of south africa with the nyakyusa, and siegfried frederick nadel 1952 in his comparison of four west african peoples are of a more psychological orientation, showing varying degrees of.
This article articulates a number of historical accounts on the origins and. Among most social science scholars of africa, particularly anthropologists, witchcraft is defined as an act of magic that results in harming a person or aspects of the material world on which he or she depends. Generally speaking, witchcraft appears to be more relevant in west africa than in east africa today, and there are great differences between countries and tribes. In africa, witch doctors are consulted not only for healing diseases, but also for placing curses on rivals. Black millennials leave church for african witchcraft the. Witchcraft in south africa 69 court records he notes that alleged witches were often treated as if they had no civil rights at all. The idea of witchcraft, which might loosely be defined as the belief that people exist who use supernatural means to harm others, has existed in african societies from the precolonial, through the colonial, and into the postcolonial periods. Origins of sorcery and witchcraft in africa by prezi user on. We see the devouring of the harutummims staffs by aarons staff of god exod 4. One of these widespread beliefs is that of witchcraft. An historical perspective of the giriama and witchcraft. With the coming of colonialism, however, africa was impacted on political, social, and economic levels, which are linked to the occult, and have led to a culture in which women are further to blame and are oppressed. Recently, al jazeera published a piece on the impact of the belief in witchcraft on nigerian children. Perspectives on african witchcraft 1st edition mariano.
In angola, many orphaned children are accused of witchcraft and demonic possession by relatives in order to justify not providing for them. Although defined differently in disparate historical and cultural contexts, witchcraft has often been seen, especially in the west, as the work of crones who meet secretly at night, indulge in cannibalism and orgiastic rites with the devil, and. The real history of witches, however, is dark and, often for the witches, deadly. African witchcraft article about african witchcraft by the. In contemporary scholarly and popular discourse, the term witchcraft refers to a wide variety of ideas, practices, and institutions.