Text of a letter submitted to The Managing Editor of Blantyre Newspapers Ltd., Blantyre, Malawi

I am submitting this letter to you in my capacity as a member of the Association of Secular Humanism (ASH) in Malawi. 

ASH is a registered Non Profit organisation in Malawi in accordance with relevant laws. ASH is also a member and partner of many like-minded organisations worldwide. Among them; International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), The British Humanists Association (BHA), The Council of Secular Humanism, African Americans for Secular Humanism (AAH) and many others. Some of our reports and articles are already appearing in some reputable secular magazines and newsletters around the world.

Secular Humanism is simply the belief that human beings can live good lives without religious or mystical belief. We Humanists are defined as those seeking, without religion, the best in, and for human beings. Humanists make sense of life using reason, experience, and science for the understating of the world. Humanists put people in the centre and believe that human problems can only be solved by human beings. There is no eerie help. Humanists believe that this world and this life is all we have. We do not believe in life after death; we further believe that the notion of life after death makes people complacent in their duty towards humanity on earth, as a result only time is squandered and opportunities not fully explored. We take responsibility for our own actions and we should try to live good lives and help others to do so. Humanism is not communism; we have no knowledge of Satanism. Humanism is the way of rational thinking and not a way of life though ultimately the way we think affects the way we live.

Attached is the statement of affirmation of our principles for your perusal.

We are therefore requesting a weekly column in one of your newspapers in which we wish to be writing enlightenment articles for the benefit of the larger society.

We have noticed that there are a number of appalling things happening in the society. These things are preventing others from enjoying the meaning of the only life that we have in this world. We feel dutybound by our affirmations to educate the masses through your well circulated and read newspapers.  Through this column we aim to emphasise the need for people to believe and rely on liberal arts, science and empirical reason alone as a means to solve their problems. They should stop believing in supernatural and unproven things such as superstition, witchcraft, religious rituals, and harmful cultural practices; such as wife inheritance et cetera.

We share your belief in freedom of expression, we admire your diversity of news coverage and we appreciate your unprejudiced accommodation of divergent beliefs and faiths. This is well demonstrated in your non-partisan commentary on issues, your coverage of news articles from across the country without showing particular favouritism to one particular region or tribe.  In your societal and faith issues you cover Christianity with due consideration to its contradictory diversity, Islam, and other religions. We have confidence and hope that with your reputation of equitable accommodation of issues that matter to peoples’ individual lives and to society in general you will accord us space in any one of your newspapers preferably the Sunday Times. As regards which particular newspaper we believe that’s at your discretion as owners.

In summary, you will appreciate that witchcraft belief is a big glitch that continues to trouble even the learned judiciary. Many people have died, others continue to die and more are likely to be killed due to beliefs in the existence of witchcraft. There are yet others who are languishing in jail for being accused of practising this elusive art. Many innocent women died in Chiradzulo district the other year after ritual believers harrowingly removed certain parts from their bodies, many are disabled to this day. A woman purportedly delivered a stone baby in Mulanje district last year. Pregnant women are denied eating certain foods due to superstitious beliefs. Certain HIV/AIDS patients are not taking the recommended ARVs because their religious doctrine does not permit it. Fellow citizens are refusing to receive treatment at hospitals simply because they believe God does not allow them to do so. Add to that many other citizens that do not accept receiving or donating blood (even when critically needed) because to them doing so is sinful before God. Many lives have been lost in horrific road accidents along M1 and other roads, instead of blaming road conditions or reckless driving millions of our people still believe that’s because of rituals by imaginary bloodsuckers. The recent horror of the Ndirande serial murderers (Nachipanti) who/which reportedly killed and seriously injured (in cold blood) innocent young lives in search of blood which is purportedly sought somewhere as a source of monetary wealth in our midst. Consequently, our country is losing (either through death or chronically incapacitating illnesses) the required human resource necessary for us to develop as a country.

These are facts backed back by statistics in Malawi. These are issues our column intends to diligently and responsibly tackle. Our long term objective is to ensure that as many people as possible are, not only saved, but are also granted fulfilling and meaningful lives here and now on earth. This is possible, and with your support and collaboration, we know this will be done.

For us to develop, as country, we require adroitness and collaboration with the government. As a people we require to change the way we think and conduct ourselves. Blind belief in unproven things is costing our country too much; we need to think for ourselves and devise measures that will develop us rather than stick to rituals and traditions that are harmful and detrimental for our progress as a nation and happiness as a people.

Humanism refuses to believe or recognise such things. We simply deny the existence of witchcraft, we refuse to accept that certain body parts of fellow humans can bring about material or otherwise wealth. Humanists know no existence or recognise the authority of the devil. With the available empirical evidence, the devil, witchcraft, gods and ritualism are imaginary figments created in the minds of certain human beings in order to meet certain needs or answer certain difficult questions.  Humanism is concerned with the way these beliefs are applied to everyday lives and the suffering they inflict on human beings. And yet we, together with you can do something; and yes, we can never say there was nothing we could do.

Judging from your experience and the way you conduct your analysis of issues, I believe that you would mostly share our consternation at the suffering in the society and that you would most likely allow us the opportunity to help deliver our society from the bondage of witchcraft beliefs, religious rituals, Satanism, cruelty and acrimony. In this way we believe Malawi will become a better place for all of her people and that the government and its stakeholders will deliver developmental programmes without hindrances that emanate from blind faith and ritualism.  We believe progressive transformation of the mind is the first and foremost step towards socio-economic development. 

Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us through the above address or simply through email.

Looking forward to hearing from you;

Secular Humanist Samuel Magombo

Samuel Magombo