Encounters with Witchcraft: Field Notes from Africa

by Norman N. Miller

Encounters with Witchcraft is a personal story of a young man's fascination with African witchcraft discovered first in a trek across East Africa and the Congo. The story unfolds over four decades during the author's long residence in and many trips to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. As a field researcher he learns from villagers what it is like to live with witches, and how witches are seen through African eyes. His teachers are healers, cult leaders, witch-hunters and self-proclaimed "witches" as well as policemen, politicians and judges.A key figure is Mohammadi Lupanda, a frail village woman whose only child has died years before. In her dreams, however, she believes the little girl is not dead, but only lost in the fields. Mohammadi is discovered wandering at night, wailing and calling out for the child. Her neighbors are terror-stricken and she is quickly brought to a village trial and banished as a witch. The author is able to watch and listen to the proceedings and later investigate the deeper story. He discovers mysteries about Mohammadi that are only solved when he returns to the village three decades later.Today, witch-hunting and witchcraft-related crimes are found in more than seventy developing countries. Epidemics of violence against alleged witches, mainly women, but including elders of both genders, and even children is on the increase in some parts of the world. Witchcraft beliefs may lie behind vigilante murders, political assassinations, revenge killings and commercial murders for human body parts.Through African voices the author addresses key questions. Do witchcraft powers exist? Why does witchcraft persist? What are its historic roots? Why is witchcraft-based violence so often found within families? Does witchcraft serve as a hidden legal and political system, a mafia-like under-government? The author holds up a mirror for us to think about religious beliefs in our own experience that rely heavily on myth and superstition.

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read and very informative. I was looking for a book that wasn't too dry or academic, about witchcraft in Africa, and this was perfect. Miller spent many years living and traveling around Africa, and the book documents his gradual understanding of how witchcraft works, what it achieves and what it destroys. He sees it as a source of social power for certain people, and the witch-hunt as a very similar form of exploitation. He further touches on the role of religion--traditional, mainstream, evangelical, and syncretic--which he doesn't see as differing much from the fundamental tenets of witchcraft.

Giving numerous examples from history and from his personal experience, Miller describes his meetings with a variety of experts, officials and practitioners of African witchcraft, each of whom sheds light on witchcraft and sorcery in a different way. By the end of the book, I was putting the pieces together with my own experiences during a decade in Africa.

I love Miller's style: he is clearly very well-versed in African history and culture, but he doesn't bog down his story with analysis and pedantic details. Instead, he follows his line of inquiry from one decade to the next, starting from the early 60s up to his last visit to Africa in 2002. His explanations are clear for the non-anthropologist, and his has a sly sense of humor. His many photos add additional whimsy and detail to the book.

I'm very happy that I had a chance to read this great book.

[Maddie Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Encounter's with Witchcraft" is an engaging, detailed and captivating account of Norman Miller's time in Africa and what he came to learn about witchcraft. The biographical and storytelling style keep the reader engaged while at the same time conveying a great amount of of first hand information. The story is also told in incredible detail, giving one an intimate and accurate depiction of what Miller encountered. The subject matter, witchcraft, seems specific, however, the oppression and corruption that come with it can be paralleled in many other cultures. Throughout the story and the descriptions, the reader ends up learning a lot about Africa and African culture not including witchcraft. Overall, the combination of informative and engaging writing that Miller uses, makes this a book worth reading.

[John Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Norman Miller at the African Studies Association conference. He is a very warm and welcoming person, now in his 80s. In this book, which he gave to many of us for free, he tells of his 40+ years in East Africa, arriving as a young man about the same time that I arrived there as an infant. Through out his many visits to East Africa, he explored the question of witchcraft in the villages where presumed witches were banished to its influence on political life in the country. The book consists of encounters with many East Africans as he tells stories and relates conversations he had in trying to understand what it means. An interesting book told in a very engaging style.

[Kendall Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a cultural anthropology class and quite enjoyed it. While the names get harder to follow the longer the book goes on, it was still overall entertaining and educational. I would absolutely recommend if you're interested in the study of modern magic in any way.

[Jane Glaister · Rating 4 out of 5]

A considered, engaging account.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

for school. reads like a story not an ethnography or field journal.