By Rev Dr Isiah Dhliwayo
The theological understanding of witchcraft and sorcery in Africa is a complex and multifaceted issue that varies across different regions and cultures on the continent.
Western sociological and anthropological presuppositions view witchcraft as a myth and therefore contend that belief in witchcraft are based upon an essentially mistaken view of the world .Accordingly ,witches do not exist except in the minds of certain people (Chavunduka,1994:90).
Witchcraft, sorcery, and magic are related to encounters of humans attempting to control the supernatural and are usually described as ways to account for experiences and conditions that are beyond simple explanation.
In many African societies, social disruptions of a serious magnitude are normally attributed to witchcraft.,and belief in witchcraft is not particularly African but a global phenomenon (Bourdillon,1990:187).
Witchcraft and Sorcery appear as themes when humans are concerned with misfortune and harm, accusation and blame, risk and responsibility, and therefore are often analyzed as forms of social control and leveling, as well as ways of perceiving reality.In Shona thought worldview,there are no clear distinctions between witchcraft and sorcery, the allusion to muroyi wehusiku, muroyi wemasikati can be used to infer the degrees of evil intent.
On the other hand ,the reality of witchcraft has been seriously questioned by academics particularly from Europe mainly because of the ideas they inherited from 18th century Europe due to the inhuman treatment inflicted upon persons accused of witchcraft.Infact the Church declared witchcraft as a heresy which came to be seen as vein superstition (Lagerwerf,1987:14).
Chavunduka (1994:88) underscores that Sorcery is a technique or a tool employed by an individual under certain circumstances in order to harm other people.Recourse to sorcery is always on a deliberate, conscious , voluntary basis.
There are however numerous spirits that populate the universe and these include alien spirits,mashavi,and angry or vengeful spirits ,(ngozi)(zvitupwani)(zvidhoma) ghosts (magoritoto),spooks (zvipoko)and tokolotches.
Traditional African religions often incorporate beliefs in the supernatural, spirits, and the influence of magic on human affairs.
Africa is a vast and diverse continent with a multitude of indigenous belief systems. The concepts of witchcraft and sorcery are “responsible ” for misfortunes, illnesses, or other inexplicable occurrences.
Many African societies, strongly believe that witchcraft and sorcery are the real forces that can be used for both good and evil purposes. Those accused of practicing witchcraft may be feared, ostracized, or even harmed.
African traditional religions often view the world as interconnected with the spiritual realm. Witchcraft is sometimes seen as a means of tapping into this realm to influence events in the physical world.
Commonly spoken and mostly dreaded in Zimbabwean communities are some spirits associated with witchcraft called zvidhoma,with some calling them Zvitupwani.Some are believed to appear in the form of animals (zvivanda)like a cat or birds (zvishiri).Worrisome is that,” they can enter a kitchen ,eat too much sadza, defecate and break pots and plates(Shoko,2007:42)”
In Zimbabwe ,The Witchcraft Suppression Act was passed in 1889 and was amended in 2006.In 1889,the legislature made it clear that although some people may genuinely believe in witchcraft,the whole practice of witchcraft was pretence and a sham,something in actual fact had no real existence at all.Witchraft Suppresion Act was stalling the genuine development of African culture in the country (The Herald ,May 10:2006).
In conclusion, the theological understanding of witchcraft and sorcery in Africa is deeply rooted in cultural, religious, and spiritual beliefs.
