环球英语 — 84：Witchcraft

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Hello. I’m Marina Santee.

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And I’m Christy Van Arragon. Welcome to Spotlight 1. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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What do you think of when you consider witchcraft 2? Strange powers from the spirit world? Strange people who can do things that ‘normal’ people cannot do? Magic? Where you live may influence your answer. In Europe or America, lots of people do not believe that witches and witchcraft really exist. Witches are only in films and books. In films, they wear long black clothes. They ride through the sky on long broom sticks. And they have black cats. They can do magic! But it is all not real.

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However, in other countries, few people deny that witchcraft and magic are real. In fact, people would think you were strange if you did deny witchcraft! In parts of Africa, everyone seems to know someone that witchcraft has affected 3. For example, one man from Zimbabwe described how his hair disappeared in one night!

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‘My wife came into the bedroom and looked at me. She saw my hair was missing - from the front of my head - all the way along the side. There was nothing there! She said, “What has happened to your hair? Where has it gone?”’

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The man and his wife are sure that they were victims of witchcraft. Their story is one of many in Zimbabwe. Witchcraft is a very real part of many people’s lives. And it has been this way for a very long time. However, the law of the land has not always recognised witchcraft. And to many people, this seemed strange. The reason goes back more than one hundred years.

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European settlers came to the part of Africa that is now Zimbabwe. They did not like the idea of witchcraft. This was because of their own history. People in Europe used to believe in witchcraft. In those earlier times, witches in Europe were executed. But later, Europeans looked back at that time. They decided 4 that these people had been wrongly executed. They argued that witchcraft was not real, so it must be wrong to punish someone for being a witch. They wanted to stop the same thing happening in Africa. That is why settlers in Africa created a law to try and end witchcraft. They called the law ‘The Witchcraft Suppression Act.’

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The law stated that it was illegal to call anyone a witch. It also completely denied that witchcraft existed! This meant that nobody could be punished for being a witch. The Witchcraft Suppression Act stopped European history from being repeated in Zimbabwe. But in 2006, the law in Zimbabwe changed.

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In July 2006 the Zimbabwean government made changes to the Witchcraft Suppression Act. The act now recognises that witchcraft exists. But it is illegal to use witchcraft to harm people. There are punishments for this. People can report witchcraft. However, only the government can punish people for witchcraft crimes. Local people cannot! The act makes it clear that witch hunts are illegal.

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So now it is not a crime to believe in witchcraft. It is not a crime to be a witch. It is only a crime to use witchcraft for harm. The changes in the law are good news for traditional healers in Zimbabwe. The law now recognises ‘magic’ and supernatural powers. Professor Claude Mararike is head of the Traditional Medical Practitioners 5 Council in Zimbabwe. He said,

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‘It is a great victory towards recognising African values. We still need more. We had been made to use foreign ideas to describe our positions. But such a move clearly shows that Zimbabwe has begun to state its own culture more strongly.’

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The professor continued to say that his organisation 6 sees witchcraft is a social fact. He said that people should never think of witchcraft as only negative. They should also recognise it as positive. He gave an example of magic protecting property and crops.

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The church in Zimbabwe does not support this. The church has always believed that witchcraft exists. But it denies the possibility of ‘good witchcraft.’ Revered 7 Roy Musasiwa manages a college in Harare, Zimbabwe. He said:

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‘As Christians 9 we have got to recognise that supernatural forces are good if they originate 10 from God. Witchcraft is one of the things that originates 11 from the satanic world.’

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This Christian 8 thinking means that any spiritual power that is not from God is evil. This would even include powers that appear to do good. The Christian Church warns people to stay away from such things. African Christians call on the name of Jesus to protect and heal them.

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African Christians point out that to not follow witchcraft does not mean to deny all tradition and culture. The African Church has moved a long way from old colonial 12 thinking. Traditions and culture are very much central to people’s lives. One preacher wrote about an African Church that he visited. The church was far from Africa. It was in the USA.

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‘It is a church I love because they celebrate being African. They light the Kwanazaa candles every Sunday. They end each prayer with “Ashe, Alleluia, Amen.” They wear African clothes. They talk, pray and sing about Africa. I loved it. I felt so at home. I felt so complete. This is a church where African people can celebrate their faith with the context 13 of their social and historical lives.’

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Back in Zimbabwe, the changes to the law concerning witchcraft have caused some debate. But for some people, talk of anything ‘supernatural’ is simply a waste of time. This includes the law on witchcraft. They believe that Africa has bigger problems that it needs to deal with.

A man wrote to the BBC from Nigeria. He said:

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‘Zimbabwe is in the middle of severe economic and political problems. Witchcraft cannot stop inflation 14. It cannot guarantee civil and political rights. Only good thinking, patience and hard work can do this.’

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This is something that most people would agree with. Only time will tell if the changes in the Witchcraft Suppression Act were a good or a bad idea in Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, good thinking, patience and hard work can only do good - in any country.