Our Families are Killing Us: Aahvion Pointer


April 28, 2020

Our Families are Killing Us

Caprivi Region & Background:
The Caprivi region is located in Namibia in the far north eastern region. It is known to be the least developed region in Africa. Due to the spread of HIV within this region, Caprivi has experienced a sharp incline in illnesses and death. The Namibians of Caprivi believe the cause of these illnesses are because of Witchcraft. The effects of the witchcraft the tribe believes varies from minimal to harsh such as failure to get married, bad grades to car accidents and deaths.
Witchcraft:
The Namibians believed these illnesses are caused by witchcraft due to the fact that their deaths happen at a quicker rate making it harder to find cures. With the lack of medical knowledge and attention, it is left to blame witchcraft. In an article by Felicity Thomas she explains, "In the Caprivi region of Namibia, an upsurge of witchcraft accusations can be seen as a direct reaction to increasing AIDS-related illness and deaths, and to changes in socio-economic attitudes and expectations." By blaming witchcraft as the reason for HIV and AIDS is one way for the people of Caprivi to cope.

Life with "Witchcraft":
With the wide spread of these diseases, many people have decided to blame the use of witchcraft. This is to help the Namibians cope with the death of the individuals and not place shame on those with the disease.


Conclusion:
In 1963, the Namibian politician said "notion is that all people should grow old and die from old age. If anything happens to them before then, then it is the result of machinations of evilly disposed persons" With the lack of help and knowledge the tribe has had to turn to their own understanding which has been determined as a form of witchcraft.




Comments

  1. Daniel de LeonApril 29, 2020 at 4:29 PM

    I found this article very interesting because it really offers insight to how illness can some times be interpreted as supernatural phenomena. In a way blaming the illness on witchcraft could probably be a very effective coping mechanism and it probably helps them contextualize their own suffering.

    ReplyDelete

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