African Witchcraft and Witches

In Africa witchcraft is part of the accepted supernatural landscape and is generally is feared. They are referred to as witch-doctors rather then just witches.

The power of evil is everywhere and this is how the witches are able to get their power. The evil is brought on by anger, hate, jealousy, envy, lust, and greed. It can also be bought on by laziness, as they might raise the dead to help them in the form of zombies.

Different african tribes refer to witchcraft differently such as th Nyakyusa's refer to it as a "Python in the belly", Pondo tribe as the "Snake of the women", Xhosa tribe believe it is a great hairy beast, some refer to it as a baboon.

The Tswana tribe believe their are two types of witches night witches and day sorcerers. Day sorcerers use their magic to inflict harm through the use of herbs and other medicines.

Night witches are mainly old women who gather in small groups and then travel about bewitching the unfortunate. They do not wear clothes but smear themsleves with white ashes or blood of the dead.

The night witches are taken less seriously then day sorcerers as they have only really seen for most part the activities of the day sorceres as opposed to the night witches.