My Thought

Malawi a superstitious nation

Malawi has been touted as the Warm Heart of Africa because of the warmth its people exude every time they meet a stranger. The stranger could be from another country or one community member visiting another villager. They are welcomed warmly, and with a smile.

If you ask the most religious people, they will tell you that Malawi is a God-fearing nation—although the Constitution, which is supposed to articulate such proclamations does not say so. The fact that the Constitution guarantees freedom of worship does not mean Malawi is a Christian or Muslim or otherwise—as it is, Malawi is a secular nation. Forget that even political leaders now and then call on God when things are not going on well in the country, especially in the economy.

Well, God will not come from heaven to solve Malawi’s economic woes. No amount of prayer and rolling on the ground will solve the rampant corruption and greed by our leaders that are busy amassing riches. The urge to enrich yourselves at the expense of the nation will not be solved by a national day of prayer. It will be solved once the leaders realise that they ought to serve the greater good and not just their households. Praying and not abiding by the basic biblical principles such as not stealing is meaningless. Sorry, I digressed.

Malawi is also a very superstitious nation. One only needs to look at what happened last week in Neno, where four elderly people were killed in cold blood. Reason? They were suspected of killing their 17-year-old granddaughter through witchcraft. My heart bleeds when I imagine the pain these grannies went through as the mob descended on them, beating them until they could not scream for help anymore. This is so heartless.

I still cannot comprehend that in this day and age there are still people who believe that something as natural as a lightning is witchcraft. But I am not totally surprised. Malawians—educated or uneducated, well-travelled or not are superstitious. The only difference between those in the village and those living in air-conditioned houses in cities, is that the former believes in witchcraft while the latter believes in demons. This is why prophets are mushrooming everywhere and I have to say they are also doing quite well in urban areas—both in brainwashing and making money.

Sometime back, I visited a friend. What I found shocked me to the core. I found my friend in the middle of praying and casting out demons in a cockroach. According to my good friend, cockroaches are used by the devil (Satan) to attack people. Forget that this friend’s place is usually untidy, hence inviting cockroaches. That’s the level of superstition apparent in our country.

It is this superstitious attitude that makes even think-tanks such as Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe to believe there is some form of supernatural beings and forces that are sabotaging Malawi’s economy. I dare say there is none. It is our own failure to properly manage the economy. And don’t even blame it on donors’ withdrawal of aid.

So, after killing the someone because of suspected witchcraft do the problems go away? Nope.

Malawians, need to learn to appreciate the elderly as a blessing to those of us who are young. We need to realise that the elderly are often in their own right, a well of wisdom from where we can tap from. n

 

Sellina Kainja

Online Editor | Social Media Expert | Earth Journalism Network Fellow | Media Trainer | Columnist

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