The Advocacy for Alleged Witches has urged witch-suspecting and accusing Africans to apologize to family members.
According to Dr Leo Igwe of AfAW, this appeal follows a video message where a Nigerian expressed regret to his family members for branding them witches and blaming them for his problems. In the 2-minute video message, recorded in pidgin English, this young Nigerian who traveled abroad made it clear that traveling overseas opened his eyes to so many things. He called poverty a bastard and that living overseas had made him not to remember certain things. This young man noted that if one were in Nigeria, one would think that every neighbor was a witch. That one’s relatives, uncles, and aunts who did nothing to harm someone were witches. He attributed witch belief to poverty. He explained that there was a point one could be poor, or one would live and languish in poverty and the miserable situation would destroy one’s thoughts and mind.
The statement issued on Thursday said : “To add to it, one could start attending one of these useless churches (yeye church) and the pastor would prophesy that the problems that one was encountering were from the family. Subsequently, one would begin to suspect any of the uncles and other relatives, especially the poor ones of witchcraft; that they were the people withholding the destinies. He further stated that since he traveled out of Nigeria, he realized that all those allegations and suspicions were false and baseless; that no one was withholding any person’s progress. That it was poverty. This guy noted that he had stopped saying certain kinds of prayers. He only prayed to thank God for helping him see a new day. He had stopped praying against spirits from the father’s compound. This young made it clear that there was no spirit anywhere; that we had accused innocent people for nothing. He used the video message to apologize to his uncles and aunts whom he had suspected of witchcraft or imagined to be withholding his progress every time he prayed in the church. He told those relatives that he was sorry and that it was not true that they were hampering his progress in any way. This guy went further to enjoin all Africans in Cameroon, Ghana, Gambia, and Togo who suspected their relatives of witchcraft or occult harm, to go and apologize to them. He declared: ‘Nobody is a witch; there are no witches, it is poverty’. He noted that poverty and hunger could destroy people’s thinking processes and could engender witchcraft fears and anxieties. He concluded the video message by urging those who watched it to share the video so that God would bless them so that they would travel and stop suspecting people of witchcraft. ”
AfAW commends this young man “for the educative and enlightening video message that reiterates the position of AfAW. The Advocacy for Alleged Witches maintains that witches are imaginary beings and witchcraft is a form of superstition. AfAW is of the view that suspected witches are innocent people. More especially, AfAW welcomes the move to apologize to relatives suspected of witchcraft. Many Africans who realize their error in accusing and persecuting family members for witchcraft do not usually express remorse or regret. They simply keep mute. And this approach is wrong.
“Unfortunately, many Africans who travel overseas have not realized their mistake in suspecting family members of witchcraft. To this end, some western anthropologists have attributed this trend to African witchcraft going global. Africans who live abroad actively suspect relatives of magically harming them or using occult means to undermine their progress. There have been cases where Africans who live in Europe or America suspect relatives back home of bewitching them and making it difficult or impossible for them to make progress. These suspected witches are family members who never traveled abroad. From overseas, they threaten or accuse these family members, abandon them or deny them support and assistance. They would hope and pray for them to die.”
AfAW supports the process of African enlightenment going global. AfAW enjoins all Africans to emulate this young man and openly express remorse for witchcraft allegations.
“Africans should abandon witchcraft beliefs because witches do not exist. Africans should apologize to family and community members for suspecting or accusing them of witchcraft”, the group said.
It stated: “In addition, Africans do not need to travel overseas before realizing that witches do not exist. That witchcraft is a form of superstition. Look, it is not all Africans that have or will have the opportunity of traveling overseas. While traveling is helpful, it is not a necessary condition to overcome witchcraft fears and anxieties.
“AfAW acknowledges the role of poverty and hunger in witchcraft accusations and witch persecutions. But witchcraft fears and anxieties are rooted more in poverty of the mind, and intellect, not of the pocket because rich Africans also believe in witchcraft and suspect family members of perpetrating magical harm. Rich Africans who live overseas entertain witchcraft fears and anxieties and are drivers of witch hunting and accusations of demon/spirit possessions in families. Many Africans attend witch-hunting churches in Europe and America where illiterate pastors and charlatans reinforce these beliefs. Witch-believing Africans who live overseas hire witch-hunters, and support witch-hunting in their communities. All witch-suspecting and witch-persecuting Africans should apologize to family members now. Like this young man, they should express remorse and regret from wherever they are, in Africa or overseas, for their misdeeds and for victimizing innocent family members.”
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