WITCHCRAFT AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE

INTRODUCTION

In the greater majority of the world, the threat of witchcraft is a daily reality, where people live
within a state of spiritual insecurity, vulnerable to psychic attack from those around them. In a
world of witches, the threat of harm cannot be limited by either time or space. For those who live
outside of the reality of witchcraft, this very real and contemporary phenomenon is most visible in
reports of various forms of witchcraft-related violence

Undoubtedly, there are abundant cases of human rights violations across the African continent.
Many such violations and abuses thrive on, and are clearly visible in, political, ethnic and religious
conflicts. Notwithstanding the fact that witchcraft accusations are rampant on the continent, rights
violations and abuses in relation to witchcraft accusations have escaped the attention of many. In
many places around Africa, and more generally the world, people who were accused of witchcraft
in the past were often executed. In Ghana, for instance, such executions usually took place in the
Mamprugu kingdom before the nineteenth century.1 With time, the execution of accused people
has been discouraged and has now become less popular than before. Nonetheless, it still exists in
many rural areas, as well as in urban centres, in some cases. However, more humane forms of
punishment, such as banishment, loss or seizure of assets and other forms of physical abuse are
more common than execution nowadays. In southern Ghana, there are established Christian prayer
camps where people accused of witchcraft could be sent for prayers and exorcism after which they
are brought back to live with their families.2 In the north of Ghana, by contrast, women accused
of witchcraft are banished from their communities by family members, village chiefs and opinion
leaders. Banished women (mostly divorced or widowed), who are left with no other option for
shelter and protection, flee to the witch camps, where they are taken through a process of exorcism
by the shrine or priest and thereafter admitted to the camp.

1
Foucault M. 1995. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Vintage Books.
2
Badoe Y. 2005. “What Makes a Woman a Witch?” Feminist Africa 5:37-51; Drucker Brown S. 1993.
“Mamprusi Witchcraft, Subversion and Changing Gender Relations”, Journal of International African
Institute 63(4):531-549

BIBLICAL DATA ON WITCHCRAFT

Biblical scholars have shown that the Hebrew term “mekashshepah” translated “witch” in the
Authorised Version can correctly be translated “sorcerer” or “sorceress” as translated in the
Revised Version.1 Similarly there is a general agreement among the OT scholars that in passages
where the term “witchcraft” occurs, the terms “sorceries” or “magical arts” may be a proper
rendering.2

There is also an unusual passage in Ezekiel, which comes close to the concept of witchcraft and
“fetishism”.3 The passage conveys the notion that by the use of “magic charms”, some women,
described by Weaver as “sorceresses”4 were able to kill some people and keep others alive, and
that they did this for payment.5 The passage continues that “I will tear them from your arms”, with
the implication that God will deliver his people from these “powerful women”.6 Apparently,
Ezekiel takes into consideration the religious beliefs and practices of the surrounding nations that
had penetrated the Israelites and addresses them. As Eichrodt argues, “the prophet does not attempt
any rational refutation of the absurdity of such superstition, but conquers it on its own ground by
the demonstration of the spirit and of power.7

The OT is quite clear about a being, explicitly called Satan three times, who is powerful and
presides over a “kingdom” in league with others spirits, who oppose God and his people.8 It hints
at the complexity of the spirit world (his kingdom) which implies some sort of hierarchical
control,9 which may be similar to what proponents of “witchdemonology” assume. The OT
assumes the possibility of Satan and his allied spirits‘preoccupation with the causation of
misfortunes and evil behaviour similar to those claimed by proponents of “witchdemonology.”
These misfortunes are not limited only to unbelievers but also to believers. For example, in Genesis
a being speaks through the serpent and causes the fall of the human race.10 Satan seeks permission
from God and brings calamities and distress to Job,11 misleads David to count the Israelites,12 and
accuses Joshua the high priest.13 Thus as the Jewish biblical scholar Tur-Sinai offers in his
summary on “the Satan” in his commentary on Job, “there appeared at God‘s court a special figure,
whose task was to inform and to accuse, and … report to him on the doings of his subjects.”14
From these passages in the OT, therefore, and as in “witchdemonology,” misfortunes are
engineered by Satan. The Synoptic Gospels The word “witch” is not found in the Synoptic Gospels,
yet like the proponents of witchdemonology, Jesus‘encounters with the demoniacs show that there
is still the belief in the reality of human beings who are thought to be spiritually powerful.
Demoniacs are shown as people who are well settled and involved in the life of their communities
or driven to the margins of society by their families as a result of their behaviour. Jeremiah’s argues
from Luke 8:26-37 that the Gadarene demoniac might have had a traumatic experience in
childhood about the soldiery which led to his insanity, hence Mark developed the embellishment
of the story with the detail about the 2,000 swine. But from the contexts, Marshall rightly contends
that his explanation is unconvincing, rather the narrative shows that possession was thought of as
being single or multiple as also in Luke 8:2.63 Again, demoniacs are believed to have some sort
of supernatural knowledge, as Davies and Allison put it, “they know the true identity of Jesus
without being told.” Consequently, although the Synoptics do not label these people “witches,”
the descriptions come close to what the Akan consider as witchcraft.

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

The opposing work of Satan and his cohort receive special attention in Acts, although like the
gospels the term “witch” is not used. For example, the disciples confront spiritually powerful
individuals and overcome them, as also claimed by proponents of witchdemonology.” Satan is
able to fill the heart of believers with evil intent that lead to misfortune—death. Peter speaks to
Ananias “how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied against the Holy Spirit?”
Barrett argues from this verse that the telling of the lie “expresses the result of Satan‘s filling
Ananias heart.” There is a clear indication here of Satanic influence, if not possession, which led
to Ananias telling lie with the aim of self-glorification. This found ground in the Akan concept of
satanic domination of people, which leads to evil behaviour. Although Acts relates only one
detailed successful exorcism, there are summary accounts of the apostles‘ministry of exorcism,
which according to Page signifies that “exorcism figured prominently, after his crucifixion.” Like
the Synoptics, Acts shows that the “demoniacs” have supernatural knowledge.

1.5 Pauline and other New Testaments Epistles

The opposing work of Satan and evil power continues to play a significant role in the rest of the
NT. Satan is portrayed as living up to his name as “adversary”; for example, he tempts, misleads,
torments, traps, hinders and deceives Christians. Paul himself “was given a thorn in the flesh, a
messenger of Satan to torment me.” The writings of other NT authors also show that evil stems
from the devil who seeks constantly to devour Christians and thwart the will of God. The
proponents of “witchdemonology” see these as the examples of the work of evil powers in the
epistles. Paul‘s terminology of “principalities and powers” indicates an unexplained complexity of
the spirit world, which hints about territorial powers in “witchdemonology.” Sanday and Headlam
argue from Romans 8:38 that “these spirits are ranged in a certain hierarchy to which the current
names are given.” In addition, the use of the term “archangel” by Paul and Jude implies some
degree of angelic hierarchy among the angels of God. The epistles do not mention any encounter
with demoniacs or witches. In Galatians 5:9 however, the word witchcraft was listed among the
works of the flesh. Here also biblical scholars have shown that the Greek term “pharmakeia”
translated “witchcraft” is the common Greek word for sorcery.” Thus the word can either be
considered as “witchcraft” or “sorcery.”

AFRICAN DATA ON WITCHCRAFT AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE

The “State Of Affairs” Of Witchcraft And Human Rights In Africa And The Particular Case Of
Ghana

Although witchcraft appears to be almost a universal phenomenon, beliefs relating to it are not the
same in all cultures. Even ethnic groups sharing similar cultural traits and practices may vary in
their belief system about witchcraft. For instance, British anthropologist SF Nadel identifies two
societies – the Nupe and the Gwari – in northern Nigeria that are neighbours and share many
things. Both groups “speak closely related languages and have an identical kinship system, based
on patrilineal succession, patrilocal residence and localised extended families.” Yet the two
groups, to a certain degree, profess different belief systems about witchcraft. For example, among
the Nupe, witches are believed to be always women. Typically, men are not accused of witchcraft
and are always seen to be performing benevolent roles in respect of spiritual powers possessed.
On the contrary, there is no “sex polarity” in the belief system of the Gwari, thus both “witches
and their victims are indiscriminately male and female”. Because different, and sometimes similar,
cultures have different belief systems about witchcraft, it has not always been easy to answer the
question of ‘what constitutes witchcraft? For this chapter, I use anthropologist Adam Ashforth’s
conception of witchcraft, which is explained as “harmful activities carried out by persons
presumed to have access to supernatural powers”. Admittedly, this conceptualisation is also
problematic, as it fails to account for the activities of “white witches”, who are also part of the
witchcraft crew in anthropological literature. Although anthropologists often tend to highlight the
difference between witchcraft and sorcery – as exemplified by Evans-Pritchard’s ethnographic
work among the Azande – this distinction is not emphasised in all cultures. History has taught us
that witchcraft has been a global – not just an African – affair. If witchcraft is a case of
primitiveness and backwardness, then America and Europe have been backward and primitive
before. In A Storm of Witchcraft, American historian and archaeologist Emerson Baker reminds
us of the “pivotal moments” and the harrowing experience of accused witches in American and
European history. The multiplicity of witchcraft-related actions that are taking place in
contemporary Africa also took place in Europe. People were accused and subjected to various
kinds and degrees of ordeal to extract confessions before being killed eventually. For instance,
while about 800 people were executed for various witchcraft-related offences between 1710 and
1750 in Hungary, “a series of witch hunts in the German electorate of Cologne that started in 1626
and continued for a decade resulted in approximately two thousand people being executed”. In
comparison with the contemporary Western world, Africa may be regarded as the epicentre of
witchcraft and other supernatural belief systems. High illiteracy rates and low levels of scientific
knowledge and invention have partly been used to explain the high presence of these mystical
beliefs in the continent. Daily misfortunes invariably attract a wide array of interpretations. For
instance, the death of the “unlucky” boy who accidentally got drowned in a river during a fishing
expedition is attributed to the work of his stepmother, who has been unable to bring forth children
after several decades of marriage. British anthropologist EE  Evans-Pritchard maintains that
although such misfortunes have perfect scientific explanations, which are understandable to both
the Western and the African mind, such explanations appear inadequate and not fully satisfying to
the African villager who must unravel all mysteries surrounding a misfortune. In Africa, witchcraft
attributions are not only made in circumstances of misfortunes, they are also invoked to explain
circumstances we may refer to as “exceptional fortunes”. For example, it is not uncommon to rely
on witchcraft to explain why a female passenger escaped unhurt – and for that matter the only
survivor – in a gory accident which claimed the lives of all passengers on board a vehicle.