Witchcraft, Magic and Divination

Mbunwe Samba

Description

This book is largely the personal account by Patrick Mbunwe Samba, of how life in his home village of Binshua has been permeated throughout by belief in witchcraft. The book not only provides a historical account informed by his reminiscences of his childhood, it shows as well that even today, belief in witchcraft is very widespread. Witchcraft exerts a profound influence on society in Binshua and in Cameroon in general. The book also provides accounts of the experiences of others, some of them very recent, and gives examples of what injustices and suffering can be caused by the notion that any misfortune must have been caused by witchcraft. For the overwhelming majority of people in village communities such as Binshua, Samba argues, anything not immediately understandable is witchcraft � which is synonymous with mystery. Many educated Africans, too, revert to such traditional attitudes in stressful situations. It may be thought surprising that in spite of the impact of Christianity, Western culture and the improved level of education, the majority of people still believe in witchcraft, and that this phenomenon not only persists but is actually increasing. The book perplexes and challenges by avoiding to provide simple answers to the question whether which witchcraft is real or imagined.

Sujets

• Anthropology

Informations

• Publié par: Langaa RPCIG
• Date de parution: 17 septembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9789956728039
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Witchcraft, Magic and Divination

Witchcraft, Magic and Divination Accounts from the Wimbum Area of the Cameroon Grassfields

Patrick Mbunwe Samba

Patrick Mbunwe Samba

Witchcraft, Magic and Divination: Accounts from the Wimbum Area of the Cameroon Grassfields Patrick Mbunwe Samba L a ng a a R esea rch & P u blishing CIG Mankon, Bamenda

Publisher: LangaaRPCIG Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon [e-mail] www.langaa-rpcig.net Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective [e-mail] www.africanbookcollective.com ISBN:9956-727-31-8 ©Patrick Mbunwe Samba 2012

DISCLAIMER All views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Langaa RPCIG.

Table of Contents Acknowledgments………………………………………. v

Preface………………………………………………….. ix 1. Witchcraft, Magic and Divination………………….1

Introduction……………………………………………...1

The Role of the Chief…………………………………….. 3 Types of Witchcraft Beliefs…………………………………11 Divination and Sorcery as Counter-measures…………………20 The Arts of Divination, Sorcery and Weather-magic recalled….. 26 The Medicine-men (ngaa-mchep) of Binshua and Wimbum area……………………………………………37 2. The Witness of Other People……………………….45 The Witness of Gallus Nchanji................................................... 45 The Witness of Frederick Ngala Njeke……………………..55

The Witness of two Churchmen……………………………. 58 The Case of a Former Politician……………………………62 The Witness of Paul N. Langdji…………………………...64 The Witness of Thomas Kimbi……………………………..66

iii

3. Witchcraft and the Law……………………………..73

4. Witchcraft and Religion…………………………….79 5. Conclusion…………………………………………...91

References……………………………………………...93

iv