Witch accusations, rapes and burnings in South Africa

Authors

• Tina Hamrin-Dahl

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30674/scripta.67282

Keywords:

South Africa -- History, Ritual, Witchcraft, Body, Human, Violence, Rape, Sex crimes, Traditional medicine, Magic, Politics and religion, Social norms, African religion and state

Abstract

With new different power systems in Africa, the whole concept of learning, authority and power is affected. To have authority means in many cases to have inherent power which exceeds the power of others. So called wizards,wachawi, in Tanzania have been found guilty of killing their victims and taking parts from the bodies to obtain and secure power.The basic ingredients in the medicines which the wachawi use consists of elements taken from the human body on one hand and parts from animals and trees on the other hand. The parts of the body which are obtainable easily are nails, hair and emission of the body. The shadow of a person is also utilized by taking some of the soil over which the shadow had fallen. Other potent parts such as the sex organs, bone from legs or skin from different parts of the body and the nose or tongue are known to be utilized by the wachawi.