Strange Secrets by Nick Redfern & Andy Roberts

Author:Nick Redfern & Andy Roberts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Paraview Pocket Books
Published: 2003-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Ironically, the influence of Western society upon long-established belief systems in the Congo only seemed to harden the acceptance of—and reliance upon—occult-based practices.

Among the people, there is little evidence that traditional beliefs in witchcraft, sorcery, and magic have been diminished by Western influences. The evidence is rather that the practice of secret magical rites is on the increase. History indicates that beliefs in witches and magic die hard in all societies. And because of Africa’s particular cultural setting, it is unlikely that these beliefs will disappear other than as a result of generations of careful and gradual education in the Western mold. Western education is not, however, an immediate solution. In Africa beliefs in magic and witchcraft are used to explain ultimate causations—the existence and origin of fortune and misfortune. Western secular education does not provide unequivocal answers to questions of such a fundamental nature. Western institutions have, as a matter of fact, served in some ways to increase tensions and anxieties in African societies, especially as these relate to superstitious beliefs and practices. The control of witches and sorcerers is of paramount importance to people who believe in magic. Yet the imposition of political systems of a Western type upon African tribes has resulted in the elimination of the most efficacious witch-control measure—the poison ordeal. In addition, the execution of convicted witches and sorcerers is no longer allowed. As a result, many Africans feel that Western political systems such as the modern state have aligned themselves on the side of evil because from their standpoint the “civilized” elimination of traditional control measures works toprotect witches and sorcerers from retaliation by their innocent victims. The African man-in-the-bush is, therefore, much more at the mercy of those who wish to harm him by supernatural means than ever before. He thus tends to rely more and more upon the witch-doctor * who, in the absence of the poison ordeal and other drastic sanctions, provides the main source of protection from evil.

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