By David Maillu
Published June 6, 2023
I have announced conducting a public lecture on witchcraft at my
countryside residence, Mathemboni, on 5th August 2023 for a noble reason.
Witchcraft, as a subject, has been gravely misunderstood since it was
given a different interpretation by colonialism where you commonly talk about witchdoctors, primitive superstitions and mysteries. One of the commonest asked questions about witchcraft is, “Is it real and can one believe in witchcraft?”
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Whereas witchcraft is a universal subject and all communities of the world have a history of witchcraft practice, different communities have different version of the subject. From that premise, there is the African version of witchcraft. English language has the word “black magic” for witchcraft. The Blackman has been so heavily associated with witchcraft to the extent of implying the Blackman is the genesis of witchcraft. May be it is true, for everything has a beginning. The intensity in which witchcraft is taken in the Blackman’s world has profound implication.
Reality is that witchcraft is REAL and a strong part of African culture. It is as old as African culture is. Witchcraft is a household subject in Africa. Unfortunately, scholars have failed us by not researching on the subject to find whether there is any substance in it. In modern Africa, witchcraft is a subject held with a lot of taboo, linked to primitiveness.
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As a scholar and for a long time, I have been a dare devil in combing the feared African cultural woods and forests trying to find out what witchcraft is all about. Finally, I have come up with amazing revelations that are worthwhile for me to share them with the community. The information is crucial for people involved in social matters and in community development. It is invaluable information for people interested in medicine and in the dimensions and depths of African culture. The lecture is a move to debunk prejudices subjected to the subject. I can say, without any single doubt, you can’t understand what the psychology of the African is properly until you have understood what witchcraft is.
People who want to attend the lecture will pay a registration fee of 5k, which will include cultural exhibition and lunch. The lecture is meant for special people, local and foreigner, with interest in discovering what is in the African cultural archive. The closing date for the registration/submission will be 25th July. Payment can be on M-Pesa, telephone 0729 505203 0r 0707 810329 or. The lecture can only cater for a limited number of people.
