Witches vs. Witch Smellers

The mysterious and the unknown continue to terrify and fascinate man– witchcraft tops the list. The cruel witch hunts in Africa and India - where the belief in witchcraft is so widespread prove this. Suspected witches are burned, forced to eat excreta, hacked to death or banished from their homes never to see their families again. Even children are not spared. But who decides that one is a witch or has the potentials of becoming one? The witch doctor who is a self-proclaimed witch smeller!

The witch doctor holds an exalted position in the community and holds sway over his fiefdom with his rituals. They ‘smell-out” the suspects and look for ‘evidences” and force them to confess and identify other witches. Evidences may happen to be an innocent record with names of people in it, bones, stones, candles, snuff, and potions. They determine if these have been used for witchcraft – by performing rituals.

Tortured, the hapless suspects are forced to point out other “witches,” hoping to be spared, but no pardon is granted. Whether they confess or not, they are doomed, including the “unsuspecting” innocent villagers. Once the list is drawn, all is lost and the carnage begins. More than 23,000 “witches” in South Africa have been lynched and the number is still rising.

Come to think of it, the witch doctor does the very same thing a village witch does. Only he or she has been “trained” for the vocation. They dress in appointed ancestral colors, dispense advice, concoct unguents and brews for healing, and offer sacrifices to appease the spirits. They are also in-demand to find husbands and reverse fortunes. Thus, the witch doctor assumes a powerful hold over the community. He can do his job.

Such power has led to the abuse of their position. In the guise of rituals, they molest young men and women, and a word from them that a person is a witch can start a carnage. Jealousy, spite, and envy can incite them to accuse a person as a sorcerer or a witch. Whatever lies the witch doctor says through his teeth is sacrosanct, there lies the rub.

On the other hand, local healers who are sought out for herbal and other curative remedies are unjustly accused of witchcraft when the patient dies. Other instances when one can be accused of witchcraft - an innocent glance that disturbs a person or red eyes because of an infection.

Famines and droughts, and personal misfortunes (infertility and impotency) are attributed to the witches. Greed also compels people to accuse others of witchcraft when they covet their property – the list is long, hence, there will be no end to the witch hunt in South Africa and elsewhere. The “witches” can do nothing when the witch doctors accuse them of being witches. Can anybody help the “witches”?

Photo credit: www.south-africa-tours-and-travel.com

The picture below shows a witch doctor reading bones.

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