| Let's 'witch, like it's 1599. |
| Written by Christopher Mills |
| Wednesday, 29 April 2009 21:12 |
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Somewhere in the world, right now, people are partying like its 1599. Because apparently, Witches are still active in Kenya. Firstly, a warning. The video that is referred to in this article is not a fake. It is recorded evidence of Witchcraft burnings that took place in Nyamataro village, a small village in Kenya. Its content is particularly graphic, and if the image of a person being murdered via means of being beaten and burned alive disgusts you, then you should probably not watch it. But if you are one of the many people that have already been disensitized by the media, click away and be thankful you don't live anywhere near this place. Five people who were suspected of witchcraft were murdered in an apparent attempt to cleanse the village of evil. This kind of atrocity is exactly what took place in Europe during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Which, looking back upon, were not really a good idea. It is estimated that anywhere between 40,000 and 100,000 people were executed during this period. Some of the accusations against people in Europe were so outrageous, but could not be ignored because they came from the King or Queen. One example of this is when King James I of England had over seventy people arrested for witchcraft because he experienced bad weather on a trip to Denmark. Despite contemporary Western society not fully understanding African cultures, this kind of behaviour can not be tolerated by any means. This is not the first occurrence of this type of action either, in May 2008, eleven people that were suspected of being witches were burned alive in their homes. The video in question has not only upset Western message boards, but also Kenyan ones. Responses from those who both find the entire concept disgusting, but also the opposite; what one user described as: “The desire of the Kisii people to eradicate witchcraft must be supported by the law.”
It is not fair for us to judge the cultures of another country, no matter how offensive they may be. Even in countries where religious connections run deeper than others, there should still be a degree of freedom allowed in what one chooses to believe in, even if it is not what the majority believes. But there is also a line that has to be drawn between protecting yourself and your religion... and straight up murder. This is probably what New Zealand would be like if 'his Holiness' 'Bishop' Brian Tamaki was in charge. Can you imagine going over to your neighbours house, accusing them of witchcraft, and then burning them alive? The climate of fear created by witchcraft is not all that dissimilar to today's modern fear of the terrorist. Many witchcraft suspects were held without evidence, and subjected to torture, and eventually killed via gruesome means. Much like many of the 'enemy combatants' currently held in the United States' Guantanamo Bay Facility. You could just replace 'witch' with 'terrorist'. Would people notice the difference? President Obama has ordered Guantanamo Bay to be closed within the year; should we be preparing the Runes and St. Johns Wort? |
