Witchcraft - a manifestation of poor work ethics

Africa has typically been branded as a continent of problems. The common line is that of poverty, disease and insecurity. In fact some foreign correspondents often find themselves ‘idle’ when in peaceful and developing African countries. There is also a problem concerning religion and beliefs in general. Religion in Africa took on a three dimensional face after the continent had come into contact with the outside world. Initially, Africans practiced their traditional religions that consisted of worshipping different gods. Then the Arab merchants introduced Islam and soon after, the Christian missionaries followed with the ‘Good News’ Gospel of Christianity. Political scientist, Prof Ali Mazrui, actually concluded that each of the foreign religions required Africans to let go of either marrying more than one wife or the consumption of alcohol. It is also worth noting that the African traditional religions took a back seat and were actually deemed evil. And so it became fashionable for one to be either Muslim or Christian. Many years later, Africans are still grappling with a multifaceted religious outlook. While many took on ‘christian names’ and attend church on Sundays or go to the mosque on Fridays, it remains shocking that a good number still dabble in practices bordering on traditional beliefs and forms of witchcraft. Although many people may automatically relate witchcraft to West Africa and Nigeria in particular (thanks to Nigerian movies), the East African region has its fair share of the vice. Of late, the regional media has tackled this problem by covering numerous stories on the subject. In Uganda stories of child sacrifice have reached an all-time high and no longer even make it to the front page. Children are kidnapped and sacrificed by witchdoctors on a regular basis. Parents are now compelled to have their young children’s ears pierced at the earliest opportunity as such kids are considered unsuitable for sacrifice. Tanzania’s phenomenon has made global headlines with Albinos being hunted throughout the country, as their body parts are considered to bear magical portions. Here everything goes. Albinos of all ages are in danger of being kidnapped and sacrificed, and their body parts sold. Kenya has also joined the fray with stories of child sacrifice added to the lucrative trade in human body parts. The other day Kenya’s Citizen TV aired a story relating the plight of mourners who, upon collecting the remains of their relative at Kenyatta hospital mortuary, found the body dismembered. One mortuary staff was actually caught on camera trying to sell body parts to members of Citizen TV who pretended to be buyers! The demand for Albinos in Tanzania has also crossed the borders of EAC’s largest member. In Burundi Albinos are also targeted and some are simply sold in Tanzania. One story that made headlines in Kenya was that of a Kenyan who tried to sell his Albino friend to willing buyers. What do these cases of child sacrifice, albino sacrifice, sale of human body parts and witchcraft in general, tell us about East Africans? Poor work ethics, possibly. This is clearly brought out by the increasing clamour for quick ways of getting rich. All the above mentioned practices are largely carried out by people who believe they can get rich quickly if they carry out a heinous act like sacrificing a young child. A rich man who wants to deal with his rivals will easily turn to witchcraft. A sizeable number of people who subscribe to Christianity have generally moved from the traditional churches to the newer evangelical or Pentecostal churches. Why? Because these churches preach what they call a ‘prosperity gospel’ about how to succeed and how to do it quickly! In response, you find people ‘sacrificing’ cars and lots of money to the pastor who promises to pray for them so that Jesus can answer all their prayers. Instead of telling people to work hard, some churches simply talk about offering more to God in the hope of procuring more blessings. Furthermore, those who practise witchcraft do not even beat about the bush. For them it is child sacrifice or a body part and quick results will follow. We need to improve on our work ethic if we are to rid the region of these shameful and odious practices. Rwanda which scores lowest in the field of witchcraft is still grappling with a huge customer-care problem. The general work ethic in this country still leaves a lot to be desired. Many simply wait for the government to initiate programmes instead of working hard. The message should not be about getting rich quick but working harder. ssenyonga@gmail.com