Witch-Craze: Africa

Prior to colonial rule, in general, individuals were accused of being magickal malefactors and dealt with on an individual basis. European-style witch-hunts began during colonial rule and still continue. Whether this change of attitude derives from enforced colonialism and/or exposure to Christianity is subject to debate. 

Although hysterical witch-hunts and trials are now considered an aberration elsewhere, a relic of history, they are on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa. Witches are accused of transforming into bats and night birds, transforming people into sombis or committing murder via lightning or poison. Witchcraft is also blamed for Aids. 

*In 1992, over 300 people in Kenya were lynched as witches. 
*From April 1994 to February 1995, 97 women and 46 men accused of witchcraft in South Africa were killed by mob violence. 
*Between January and June 1998, South Africa's Northern Province reported 386 crimes against suspected witches including assault, property damage, and murder.
*Thousands of children throughout sub-Saharan Africa have been the targets of witchcraft hysteria. Children have been tortured, abandoned, and killed. Many have suffered brutal exorcisms of the demons they are assumed to house. 

The Ministry of Safety of South Africa's Northern Transvaal Province established a Commission of Inquiry into Witchcraft, Violence and Ritual Killings. A report published in May 1996 stated that thousands accused of witchcraft had been driven from their homes, losing all their property. 


*Credit to Judika Illes