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According to Timothy Stabell, “witchcraft continues to be a topic that stirs passions and fears in many places around the world” (Stabell 2010, 460). This is particularly true of Africa where the belief in witchcraft is so pervasive that it can be viewed as a commonplace feature of many African spiritual beliefs (Ellis and ter Haar 2004, 27). From a traditional African perspective, there is an undeniable connection between the material and spiritual worlds. This worldview supports the idea that there are spiritual reasons for all ordinary everyday occurrences (Mbiti 1990, 151). Witchcraft is generally defined as the ability of a person or group of people to cause harm to others by use of supernatural powers (Hutton 2006, 211; Nyaga 2007, 247). Generally speaking, witchcraft is any type of evil that negatively affects the fulfillment of human life (Akrong 2007, 59). In many African contexts, there is often a very thin line between the ideas of evil spirits, magic, sorcery, spell casting, and curses and the idea of witches or witchcraft (Quarmyne 2011, 477; Danfulani 2007, 477). Because witchcraft is directed against others, it is generally perceived as “the anti-social crime par excellence” (Mencej 2015, 112). Witchcraft is believed to be against the preservation of life which is the most central precept of African life. Therefore, fighting against witchcraft is considered a moral imperative for all those affected by it (Magoola 2012, 99-100). As a result of the perception people hold on witchcraft, they often treat with the greatest cruelty those suspected to be associated with it, even wishing to physically eliminate them from society (Nyabwari and Kagema 2014, 9). Witchcraft beliefs and accusations negatively impact family relationships as well as other networks of social relations (Akrong 2007, 58; and Harries 2012, 129139). In connection with Priest, Ngolo and Stabell’s article (2020), this one further explores the issue of witchcraft accusations and offers some recommendations as a Christian response to the phenomenon.

28. Witchcraft Accusations: A Challenge for Families, Communities, and Churches in Africa