Witchcraft among the Azande (Review)

This was a very interesting film which focused on the various practices and beliefs of the
indigenous African tribe called the Azande. The film started by talking about the beliefs of the
people and how, even though many attend church services and have accepted Christianity, they
still resort to witchcraft and other types of magic when in hard times. The use of these
practices is so engrained into their culture that it is the natural and logical way for them to
understand the events that occur. Throughout the film, I was fascinated by how trusting they
were in their oracles and the practices by which they determine the truth in a matter, which
from an outside point of view looks to be merely chance.
The Azande believe that mangu, which is translated as witchcraft, is a substance
located in the body of witches and grows with the body, therefore the older the witch the
stronger their witchcraft would be. Children are able to inherit this witchcraft from their parents
and an individual is likely not to even know that he or she is a witch. Witchcraft is a normal
explanation for the events, usually bad ones, that occur in the everyday lives of the Azande
people. When witchcraft is suspected, the people will seek out an oracle to give them an answer
to the problem. There are many oracles but the film addressed two in particular, the termite
oracle and the Benge oracle.
The termite oracle consisted of finding a termite mound and inserting two sticks from
different trees into the mound. The person needing the oracles advice would then ask the
termites a question with a definitive yes or no answer and the answer would be determined
by which stick the termites had eaten by morning. This was a common oracle for the people to
seek out because it was inexpensive and one didnt have to seek the help of a witchdoctor or
chief to mediate between the oracle, such as with Benge. Benge is a type of poison which the
Azande would give to chickens, and whether the chicken lived or died would answer the
questions asked to the oracle. This method was also commonly used, but was more expensive,
both with the cost in chickens and the poison, plus needing a specialist to administer the poison.
After the witch was identified, he/she would have to cleanse themself by taking water from a
gourd and spitting it out onto the ground, hereby beseeching the witchcraft to come out of their
belly. Depending on the crime the punishment would often take the form of fines and hard labor
instead of a death penalty such as past generations enforced.
Even though many of the Azande practice Christianity and attend services they still resort
to these oracles and their beliefs in witchcraft when they need to understand an event that occurs.
In the film the pastor of the church said that he was one of the few Azande who, even in hard
times, doesnt return to witchcraft for an answer. These ideas are so deeply rooted into the
Azande way of life that they are first nature. The textbook says, To the Azande, witchcraft was
a completely natural explanation for events (Lavenda and Schultz 2008: 331). This practical
explanation given through witchcraft helped the people find explanations to things which science
and Christianity gave no concrete answer too. These practices are their way of life, its what
makes sense to them and it provided them with the answers to questions which sometimes arent
easily answered. To outsiders the practices may seem bogus and mere chance, but to the
Azande, it is their truth and how they have always gone about their lives, and it has worked for
generations and will be passed down for more to come.

Works Cited
Lavenda, Robert H., and Emily A. Schultz. Anthropology: What Does It Mean to Be
Human? New York: Oxford UP, 2008. 331. Print.