The tragic consequences of African witchcraft allegations
Africans are an adaptive race. They have dealt with centuries of colonization, From these influences, Africans take what they think fits with their world picture and morph it to fit. This has long been the case of the crusading religions. Each tenet has preached to Africans, and the Africans have smiled and nodded their way to conversion. However, Africa had many Gods before the various ilk of missionaries arrived, and what is said and what is actually practiced may in reality be miles apart.
Sometimes the congruence of religions can be amusing, but in others tragic. For example, the bible says thou shalt not suffer a witch to live, and in some parts of Africa this is taken literally. Recently, for example, a Nigerian nine year old suffered a horrendous death randomly accused of witchcraft by his pastor, and as a result, his father forced acid down his throat as an exorcism. It took over a month for the child to die. This is not an isolated case as many uneducated Africans struggle to comprehend any allegorical interpretation of biblical content, often guided by religious leaders big on zeal but low on compassion and theocratic interpretation.
Nwanaokwo Edet was one of an increasing number of children in Africa accused of witchcraft by pastors and then tortured or killed, often by family members. Pastors were involved in half of 200 cases of “witch children” reviewed by the AP, and 13 churches were named in the case files.
Some of the churches involved are renegade local branches of international franchises. Their parishioners take literally the Biblical exhortation, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”
“It is an outrage what they are allowing to take place in the name of Christianity,” said Gary Foxcroft, head of nonprofit Stepping Stones Nigeria.
For their part, the families are often extremely poor, and sometimes even relieved to have one less mouth to feed. Poverty, conflict and poor education lay the foundation for accusations, which are then triggered by the death of a relative, the loss of a job or the denunciation of a pastor on the make, said Martin Dawes, a spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Fund.
