Most of my posts will not be this tragic and disturbing, but I believe that this is a very important subject that needs to be addressed.
Just recently Tanzania, Africa's government issued a choke hold on witchcraft and the amount of kidnappings and killings of albino people in Tanzania, that are believed to be ghosts. It has been known that "witch doctors" would abduct albino people, mostly during the night, and murder them, cutting off their arms, legs, and other body parts to be used in their potions. These potions were thought to bring good luck and were sometimes sold to businessmen and politicians to make them wealthy and successful.
Tanzania's government issued a task force that will explore the murders and scrutinize the people thought to be involved, sending them to court.
Another problem that has risen is the false accusation of witchcraft in Tanzania. Some people have been taking advantage of the "choke hold," accusing innocent people of delving in witchcraft and having them brutally hunted down and executed. These people would use any excuse to accuse a person of using witchcraft, for example:
A little boy was killed by a hyena, but four elderly women were accused of using witchcraft on the animal to achieve the death. These women were gruesomely murdered with machetes and their bodies were burned.
People would also accuse another of practicing witchcraft for their own personal gain, for example:
If two siblings were given an inheritance from their family, one of the siblings could simply accuse the other of being a witch, therefore inheriting all of the sibling's money when that sibling was murdered under suspicion.
I think that the ban on witchcraft is necessary to move away from the horrible tragedies that have occurred, but also the ban itself is causing just as much calamity and mayhem. It's tricky to think of a solution to a problem like this when there are people out there that will take advantage of the situation as much as they can. Though this is true I believe that Tanzania will be able to find peace again.
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