African witch traditions or "everything in this world is relative."
In many African countries they respect the age-old traditions laid down by their ancestors. Including the most cruel. Ritual murders and witchcraft are still part of the everyday life of Africans. The most horrible and incomprehensible Western man is that the victims of shamans and healers on the Black Continent regularly become children. Although the authorities are trying to deal with this, but little progress has been made in eradicating barbarous customs.
Hunting for an albino
Albinos (light-skinned blacks, with a violation of skin pigmentation and hair), perhaps the most persecuted group on the Black Continent. The birth of such a child, according to beliefs in several countries of Central Africa, is a very bad sign. But from the organs and parts of the body of the albino, with due magical accompaniment, you can make the strongest amulets and curative amulets. The organs of "whites" are in great demand among the healers of Kenya, Congo and Tanzania. The price of individual parts of the body of killed albinos can reach up to $ 1000. A full "set" pulls for 75 thousand, for most Africans - the money is just crazy. Special protection of genitals is very demanded. This is due to the spread of AIDS. There is a belief that eating dried genitalia relieves this disease. As well as from many others.
Hunters for albinos for a long time remained virtually unpunished. Their victims were simply declared missing. The first verdict in this case in Tanzania was made only in 2009. The murderers were hanged. Now the hunters do not kill their victims, but chop off their limbs. In the end, if they fall into the hands of Themis, they are judged by an article on causing serious bodily harm, which is punishable by a prison term of five to eight years. Last year in Tanzania, a six-year-old albino child was chopped off. Among the attackers was the boy's father.
For albino children, special guarded boarding schools are being built. However, this does not always save. There are cases when the guards for bribes helped the hunters to enter the territory of the institution for abduction of children.
The Cursed Children of Cote d'Ivoire
According to local traditions, a child whose mother died during childbirth is declared "damned". It is believed that it can bring trouble to others. Such children are not only possible, but they must be disposed of. That is, they must be killed. The same applies to disabled children. A physical defect can appear only a few years after birth (for example, deafness), but this does not cancel the death penalty.
Such children are most often stoked or poisoned. And no one will ever say that the baby was killed. Here they say: "the child went home to real parents", referring to spirits and local gods. The assassin is called an "escort".
The authorities are trying to deal with this terrible custom, but few stop criminal prosecution. And shelters for the "damned", existing on the donations of benefactors, can keep children only up to 15 years. After that, they return to the society that rejected them and sentenced them. And this verdict, albeit with a delay, but most likely, will be carried out.
The second must die
The tribes in Madagascar have a belief that the birth of twins threatens to kill all relatives. Twins automatically sentenced to death. Often, together with her mother, who defiled herself with a bond with evil spirits and thus brought a curse to the whole family. However, local leaders and shamans try to keep pace with the times and somewhat relaxed mores: now one of the twins is left alive - the one who was born first.
At the other end of Africa, in Nigeria, with the twins everything is somewhat more complicated. Here there is a sign: if twins become different in time, then one of them will soon die. To deceive the evil fate, parents dress the twins in the same clothes and make them the same hairstyles. It is believed that twins have one soul and one fate for two. If one of them dies, the second one should put a yellow flower on the grave of the deceased and say: "I'll give you a yellow flower, and you give me a white light" - this will save him from death.
Sorcerers, youngsters
In the same Nigeria, at the legislative level, witchcraft is prohibited. Guilty of performing magical rites waiting for prison for many years. But the struggle against witchcraft often acquires a very perverted form. For example, in evil eye and hood damage can blame not only the adult, but also the child. A few years ago, European volunteers literally rescued from the starvation of a two-year-old boy, who was declared a sorcerer and expelled from the house. The baby could hurt relatives, and remained a mystery. Some older children who have been in the shoes of rogue sorcerers, in conversations with their saviors recall, under what circumstances were outside the family. "My parents are dead, my grandfather is sick, my aunt accused me of being a witch:" Why is everyone around sick? They are suffering because of you, "Naomi said from Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo). There are hundreds of such cases in the country. How many of them outside the official reports - is unknown.
The DRC authorities adopted a special law that protects minors from accusations of witchcraft. However, this situation practically did not change. According to representatives of various charitable foundations helping children, the problem is not only due to superstition. In families with many children, parents are simply unable to feed everyone and, on the pretext of accusations of sorcery, get rid of excess mouth.
Murder for Happiness
In the spring of 2013, Humane Africa published a shocking report, "Human Victims and Mutilations of Children in Uganda." According to his data, the country regularly performs child sacrifices, at least one child perishes weekly. And ritual murders turned into a real business. According to customers, child sacrifice contributes to success in business. Several years ago, a wealthy businessman who ordered the murder of a boy was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in the capital of Uganda Kampala. He buried the child's body parts on his plot, where construction was going on. And this is not a unique case. Local entrepreneurs are trying in this way to enlist the "support" of the spirits before launching a major project. On the slaughter sorcerers are brought even close relatives. In 2011, one client brought to the priest a 12-year-old nephew, saying that the spirits needed the blood of a child, and he would in return receive power. Sometimes wizards go on tricks, demanding from customers to sacrifice their own children. As a result, some parents abandon the ritual.
However, statistics show an annual increase in the number of such crimes. Officially, the account goes to dozens. Unofficially - for hundreds. There is a specially created police unit to combat ritual murders. But the rites are not advertised, and the policemen of the sorcerers are also afraid. In addition, for a certain amount of guardians of order are always ready to "not notice" the crime.
According to a 2008 study, Uganda is not the only country where eccentric rites are practiced. Similar incidents have also been recorded in South Africa and Mozambique. The overwhelming majority of victims are children from 3 to 18 years old. Sometimes pregnant women are killed for the purpose of seizing and killing the fetus.
African sorcerers, or those who are considered to be, themselves are periodically victims. In 2014, seven people were killed in a village in Tanzania, which local residents suspected of carrying out magical rites. Up to 500 healers per year die. But as they say, a holy place is never empty. In their place come new and continue the work of their ancestors.
That’s pretty cool traditional stuff
You gave detailed information about negative African tradition ,but you only highlighted the bad ones ,what of the good ones ,besides most of those evil traditons has stoped due to Christianity .
Thanks for sharing .