October 8, 2012 -- Updated 1655 GMT (0055 HKT)
Witchcraft, evil spirits and curses
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Some 60% of Tanzanians believe sacrifices to spirits or ancestors can protect them from harm
- Witchcraft serves to explain things that are inexplicable to those in rural villages without education, says anthropology professor
- Albinos suffer discrimination and sometimes danger because some people believe their body parts bring great wealth
Around the world a sense
of mystery and fear engulfs witchcraft and nowhere is this more evident
than in the East African nation of Tanzania. Here, faith in this
specific form of African tradition can turn deadly.
People with albinism have
been dismembered in western parts of the country because so-called
witchdoctors perpetuate a belief that albino body parts bring great
wealth.
Those suspected of
witchcraft are also targeted; an estimated 600 elderly women were killed
in 2011 due to the suspicion they were witches, according to the Legal
and Human Rights Center in Tanzania.
In fact, the Pew Forum on Religious and Public life conducted 25,000 face-to-face interviews in 19 African nations and found that among them, Tanzanians hold the strongest belief in witchcraft.
It says 60% of the
Tanzanians interviewed believe that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits
can protect them from harm, and that many Christians and Muslims
incorporate elements of traditional African beliefs into their daily
lives.
Dark arts flourished in
Tanzania partly because, compared to its neighbors, it was "less
colonized" by European powers, explains Joachim Mwami of Dar Es Salaam
University.
The anthropology
professor says for centuries, witchcraft has "served to explain anything
inexplicable," in rural villages like a severely sick child or strange
illness.
Professor Mwami admitted
that, "even in my own family, I was advised [as a child] not to visit
certain relatives considered to be witches," even though there was no
proof.
He says without access
to education, people are more likely to follow the claims of traditional
healers and pass down those beliefs to the next generation.
Students at Dar Es
Salaam University were reluctant to talk to CNN about opinions relating
to witchcraft. Some explained, even if they don't personally believe in
the practice, their relatives take it seriously.
Others feel one must
believe in the practice for it to have any power over them. So even with
a university education, some students retain some faith in witchcraft.
Believers seeking
healing regularly visit Mama Safi, a self-proclaimed "good witch," who
gained her powers after being visited by spirits, she says.
"I'm able to remove
evil, stomach sickness, migraines, typhoid and diabetes too," she
boasts. Safi conducts parts of her ceremonies in Arabic, even though she
claims to have never studied it.
Her fee ranges anywhere
from $20 to $120 depending on the service provided; expensive when you
consider most Tanzanians live on less than $2 a day.
Professor Mwami says the
charging of any type of fee is not typical among traditional African
healers and is more common among con artists capitalizing on the fears
of others.
Debunking the claims of
other so-called witches is Suleiman Musa, a man with albinism living in
fear while trying to raise awareness about his genetic condition.
Albinism reveals itself through a lack of melanin or coloring in the skin, hair and eyes.
Musa says many of his
albino friends fled their rural homes after being chased out by locals.
He too experiences prejudice and animosity from strangers. "I bear the
pain because I can't do anything [else]," he says.
However, in the bustling
city of Dar Es Salaam he's found support through an informal football
team made up of people with albinism; Albinos United. He relishes the
chance to explain to onlookers that he's "normal, because this is the
color God chose for me."
Musa doesn't believe treatment of albinos will improve if Tanzanians remain uneducated about albinism.
Professor Mwami agrees
that education is precisely what's needed to address issues surrounding
witchcraft saying, "the popularization of science is the only answer to
these predicaments as far as Tanzania and belief systems are concerned."
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