A witch doctor's office
Beliefs and practices associated with witchcraft have had a significant impact on African history and continue to play a role in shaping the continent's political and economic development, says Assistant Professor of History and Africana Studies at Bryn Mawr College Kalala Ngalamulume.
Ngalamulume uses "witchcraft" in two senses. He defines its "negative" manifestation as the belief that certain people use occult or magical power to cause harm to others. Witchcraft in this sense is often blamed for illnesses or deaths that Western medicine cannot explain or address, Ngalamulume says. In its "positive" sense, witchcraft can be used as a defense against the malicious intentions of others, including witches, or to increase one's own power or wealth. Successful specialists in the preparations and rituals used in these efforts are much sought after, Ngalamulume says.
According to Ngalamulume, belief in witchcraft is widespread across sub-Saharan Africa. Witches in the negative sense he defines are believed to inhabit nearly every village and belong to every clan, keeping their identities hidden from all but their fellow witches and inflicting injury on those who have aroused their anger or jealousy. The close association of witchcraft with traditional family and social structures has an important impact on patterns of economic development, Ngalamulume says.
The popular appeal of witchcraft can be seen very clearly in the realm of sport, says Ngalamulume. "Any soccer match in any city in Africa is surrounded by rumors that players are using witchraft to guarantee victory. Not just local teams, but national teams use occult specialists to lend them strength," he says.
Witchcraft in the positive sense may be an important factor in state-scale politics, Ngalamulume says. "Many African heads of state are believed to use occult specialists to protect their power, to escape assassination plots or coups d'état," he explains. "In places where dictators are using these practices, many people around them believe that the dictators are invulnerable and resistance is futile. This obviously has strong implications in the transitions of developing nations to democracy." About Professor Ngalamulume Click Here
Isangoma Zulu name for a diviner, someone in contact with ancestral spirits a.k.a witchdoctor
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A witch doctor's office
Diviner, consulting the spirits to ask permission for the photographer to see his shrine
Isangoma Zulu name for a diviner, someone in contact with ancestral spirits a.k.a witchdoctor
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