THE PERVASIVENESS OF WITCHCRAFT AND RITUALISM IN NIGERIA

Okoli LeonardMaduabuchi Caesar

The pervasiveness of the belief in the existence of witchcraft and other “allied activities” is obvious in our world today, and endemic in some socio-cultural settings that it informs and forms a large chunk of people’s beliefs and activities. It is a general issue such that a careful observer can hardly feign ignorance about or fail to face once recognized. Now let me state the nature of the so called “allied activities” like spiritualism, occultism, ritualism, magic et cetera. These are found in most parts of the world. Different macro-societies have their general conceptions about the aforementioned phenomena; within these macro-societies are micro and ‘super-minute’ groups who have developed their belief systems about the said phenomena. These belief systems give coherence to their world view and lives.

The writer’s intention is to examine the pervasive nature of witchcraft consciousness in Nigeria and to debunk an erroneous claim by a vast majority on the sole cause of this pervasive phenomenon- illiteracy.

What is witchcraft? Although according Lucy Mair, the belief in witchcraft is universal, the term has a controversial etymology and is used in different contexts by different cultures. However, our working definition is that witchcraft involves the use of magic and the engagement in other panorama activities like the sleight of hand illusion. It is closely tied with the practice of sorcery/magic and the use of supernatural powers to affect an event, situation or even a person against his/ her wish.[1] This term is used broadly to include shows of the use of cultic means to solve problems. Frazier defined magic as the “primordial form of human thought; it consisted in making either spacio-temporal connection for which case it was referred to as sympathetic or contagious”.[2] The term ‘magic’ is often used interchangeably with sorcery. Words like enchantment, divination and necromancy are synonyms for ‘magic’. However, in the monotheistic religions especially in Christianity, it was associated with heresy and was interpreted as a form of devil worship.

Here is the main question: why is the belief in witchcraft and its allied activities so general in Nigeria to the extent that it affects the reaction of Nigerians in our approach to problems? It is a truism that we have become so familiar with panorama experiences to the extent that ninety percent of Nigerians explain natural experiences, social problems et al with the witchcraft theory. This is seen in mob reactions and activities all around Nigeria. Once a complex and strange activity manifests itself, many Nigerians immediately take shelter under the witchcraft explanatory model.

One may hold the opinion that this witchcraft explanatory model is all over the world and in fact, pervasive in Africa; so, why single out Nigeria? The answer is simple! The discussion has to begin from somewhere. There are some theories about the reason behind this pervasive consideration of witchcraft. The first and most common reason is illiteracy or lack of exposure. Some people have argued that illiteracy in whatever form is responsible for this phenomenon, because if people are properly informed, they would attribute physical effects to physical causes, and panorama effects to panorama causes. I don’t think this the sole cause; it is responsible for about 60% of the entire misappropriation of causes to effects. We know that this is prevalent in cities made up of civilized and educated person. There have been cases where individuals suspected of witchcraft are lynched in big cities.

Furthermore, we cannot forget the international example of how a Nigerian “minister of God” portrayed a similitude of this ideology across the Nigerian borders and was branded “a danger to the safety of children”. As such, it would be ridiculous to identify illiteracy as the sole cause of the excessive appropriation of misfortunes to witchcraft activities.

It is the writer’s opinion that there is a sinister reason to this. Perhaps, it involves the very nature and thinking process of the average Nigerian. Perhaps it is something enshrined in the socio-cultural Nigerian setting. We must seek a more detailed and fundamental explanation for the pervasiveness of witchcraft consciousness in Nigeria. In the next publication, the writer shall attempt a lucid explanation of a necessary answer to this issue.

REFERENCES

www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/witchcraft James I, 3rd August, 2013, 6.04pm

Frazier, J. B. The Golden Bough, New York: Macmillan, 1992.