To many Westerners, the disappearance of African traditions of
witchcraft might seem inevitable with continued modernization. In
The Modernity, of Witchcraft, Peter Geschiere uses his own
experiences among the Maka and in other parts of eastern and
southern Cameroon, as well as other anthropological research, to
argue that contemporary ideas and practices of witchcraft are more
a response to modern exigencies than a lingering cultural custom.
The prevalence of witchcraft, especially in African politics and
entrepreneurship, demonstrates the unlikely balance it has achieved
with the forces of modernity. Geschiere explores why modern
techniques and commodities, usually of Western provenance, have
become central in rumors of the occult.
Witchcraft is viewed as both a leveling and an oppressive force:
a weapon of the weak to attack the powerful but also a tool of the
powerful to maintain their position. Modern witchdoctors play a
pivotal role not only in local cultures but also in stories of
success and failure of state politicians, businessmen, and local
football teams. Since the early 1980s they have been used as expert
witnesses in state trials, helping to condemn defendants by their
supposed expertise, rather than by hard evidence. The belief in
witchcraft pervades all political levels: President Soglo of Benin,
one of the few democratically elected on the continent, nearly
missed his own inauguration because of an alleged witchcraft
attack. Geschiere suggests that the African state is a true
breeding ground for modern transformations of witchcraft because
the ambiguity of this discourse can contain both the obsession of
power and the increasing feelings of powerlessness among thepeople
in the face of modern developments. There are unexpected parallels
here with certain aspects of politics in Western democracies.
The ease with which witchcraft has incorporated the money
economy, new power relations, and modern consumer goods is a
striking example of its resilience in the face of Western
influences. Geschiere uses the evolving relationship of witchcraft
and modernity to demonstrate that democracy in Africa can succeed
only if it is related to local cultures and their discourse on
power.
This study is one that anthropologists, political scientists,
and others concerned with contemporary Africa cannot afford to
ignore.
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