Witchcraft in Uganda
By Kakooza Seruwagi

Witchcraft is the practice of magic especially for evil purposes and this practice is done by primitive people. Witchcraft is interrelated with superstition, which is also a practice founded on unreasoning beliefs in magic e.tc, it is also irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious. At the same time it is associated with sorcery. which also deals with cannibalism i.e eating of the human fresh! It is a terrible practice here in Uganda and even beyond our boarders! I will not mention the people involved for my safety but some are here with us!

Types of People Practicing Witchcraft in Uganda

1. Witch Doctors - these are the people who use magic with evil intentions for harming people. They have shrines or operate in their homesteads. They have gods which are invisible or ornaments made from wood, metal or clay. Some move around with snakes.
2. Sorcerers - these people are equally dangerous. They are associated with cannibalism and normally operate at night. If they fail to get a dead body they can waylay a live person and eat him. They posses power to make their victim's sick, then die and eat them.
3. Fore-tellers - these use Bibles or the Koran and they tell you what will make you happy. They use threatening words and you end up in their traps by paying then some money for preventing danger.
4. Palm Readers - these ones are very terrible, they look at your palm and they narrate your past and your future. They normally do it for a fee. If your life is threatened they refer you to the nearest witch doctor.
5. Cultist - these mix religion with witchcraft and sometimes they make human sacrifices to fulfill their missions. They even end up killing their follows as happened in Kanungu in March 2000 where 1000 people perished by fire.
6. Medicine men - these provide herbal medicines to their clients at a fee. These ones are not necessarily very dangerous.
Causes of Witchcraft in Uganda

Illiteracy

Many people in Uganda are illiterate and belief in Witchcraft is quite widespread. They often consult witches, especially fortune-tellers, for marriage, trade, or good luck. Many visit or pay homage to shrines in their day-to-day life.

Poverty

Due to the biting poverty, some people visit the shrines to get quick riches and fortunes. More poor people believe in witchcraft compared to the rich.

Culture

The people of Uganda were traditionalist before the coming of the foreigners with their religion. Some people embraced their religion, while others renamed traditionalists with their shrines and gods.

Lack of medical facilities

The ratio of medical personnel to the population is very low. Some people seek the services of medicine men and with complicated diseases like Diabetes and Hypertism these people end up dying.

Ignorance

Ignorance is as bad than the witches themselves. This is because witches capitalize on the ignorance of people; they depend on the ignorance of their victims. Imagine a person who needs an operation being prescribed herbs. This can result in death.

Religion

This mainly is attributed to faith healing. Some religious people especially pastors convince people that prayer can cure certain diseases.

Politics

There is a relaxation, or gaps in the law pertaining to the activities of witches. There is no law against them hence they act freely.

Effects of Witchcraft

The practices of witchcraft have affected the Ugandan population in various ways. Some people have been manipulated and robbed or cheated by witches when trying to get riches, fortunes or to be healed. Others have died at the hands of witches white trying to get rich, or when they sought treatment.

Human sacrifices are not uncommon and have increased, children are mostly the victims.

The witches here inflicted negative thinking on their clients. This has resulted in people being married to witchcraft practices, with negative results in terms of their personal development. A village which has many witches lags behind others.

Cults have sprung up and these have resulted into mass suicides like the infamous Kanungu where on March 17th 2000, more than 1000 people died in inferno.

Challenges for Humanists

What can the Humanists do to stop this catastrophe?

Since religion has failed for 100 years to end this business, Humanists can try to do the following.

a) Hold seminars about the dangers of witchcraft
b) Promote science in schools and colleges
c) Campaign against the government decision to grant witches freedom of practice.
d) Work to improve living standards through self help projects.
e) campaign for more funding for the medical sector
f) Work to isolate and destroy or incapacitate their practices.