Rituals, Superstitions, and Politics: How Far Have We Come?

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Ancient African politics was strongly linked to ritual and superstition. Not far from the Western tradition of the divine right of the king, African rulers were semi-gods or worse. The only way for Mtemi to maintain his throne was by having a stronger supernatural being act instantly, urgently, and mercilessly against the enemies; that way, African chiefs enjoyed the loyalty of their people.

Colonial administrations have brought so much change to remember; however, ritual and superstition have shifted from the force to maintain loyalty into force to win elections, suppress opposition and maintain popularity. A thing or two to remember: most African politics is not agenda-based but tribal; it lacks clear ideology from the political party level to the country level and continental level.

Since Africa is a continent of fifty-four countries, I will use each country as a unit of analysis instead of the continent as a whole. Since I’m Tanzanian and there is so much going on, let’s dig into Tanzanian politics and its correlation with conspiracy theories, especially when we expect to have local government elections and General elections.

The report of the merciless killing of the child with albinism, Asimwe Novath, at Bukoba marked the beginning of the kidnapping. The only difference is that Asimwe’s father was directly involved with a priest and seven other people. Now, let’s challenge our minds with a few brainstorming questions: why was she murdered this year (2024) at the age of two?

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Was his father not in need of wealth, or are the clients for such commodities seasonal, and the only suitable time is 2024/2025? Was the priest desperate for wealth, or was there a significant principal cause for the action? Have the markets for such commodities been discovered, or is it an invisible black market?

Neither the market nor clients will be known or discovered to support my conspiracy. The responsible authorities will never find reasonable answers after investigations; investigations will never be completed. The kidnapping will be disassociated with politics by referring to assassination and kidnapping during the Magufuli regime.

Simple logic, assassination and kidnapping during the Late President John Magufuli’s regime were to suppress opposition to Magufuli strategies and authoritarian and human rights abuse, and the killing was not associated with any rituals or superstition contrary to the kidnapping of children that were going on, especially in Dar as salaam.

Unpacking The Causes

Some politicians need positions that have been readily occupied, and there is no way for the people who hold them to let them go. The political parties’ internal regulations have no clear mechanisms to guarantee the possibility of getting those chances from those who hold them now. The only efficient and approachable alternative is ritual and relying on witch doctors for help.

The witch doctor’s conditions for the suit outcome are darker and inhuman; most of the prescribed involve human sacrifice, and worse, let’s not pay attention to testimonies of people who claim to have worked in hades since science discredits it in several ways, such as mental health problems (situation).

Some politicians in positions of power were ineffective, corrupt and diverted from their responsibility; the pressure is on whether “Wajumbe” will let them contest or the citizens will be awakened not to vote for them regardless of how devoted to the political party they are.

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Uncertainty about “Wajumbe” can be settled by bribing them. However, in the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), a bribe is like betting; in several instances, Wajumbe took the bribe and never did anything to help. Why not Sangoma, if the impact is guaranteed regardless of the situation? Bewitching Wajumbe is one step ahead; winning Wajumbe’s trust encourages you to go the extra mile for power.

I have read public announcements disclaiming the kidnapping, and I was convinced since none of the victims was evident to me until when my neighbourhoods started to cry and report the loss of their children.

To falsify my conspiracy, the authorities need to act and devise reasonable strategies to end this problem completely. I recommend finding the market and client as principal solutions. Children are innocent and believe they are safe, so we protect them.