Nyanja Word of the Week: Umfwiti (Witchcraft)

They don't celebrate Halloween in Zambia.

A couple of years ago, my husband agreed to carve pumpkins with me, but it took some serious convincing that I wasn't making him participate in a Satanic ritual. This is a completely valid concern, as the origins of Halloween aren't necessarily innocent, and because "umfwiti," or witchcraft, is real in Zambia.

In rural villages, when someone becomes ill or dies suddenly, it may not just be of natural causes, it may be that someone else has put a curse on the person. But these beliefs aren't confined to villages. Many urban, educated Zambians also know that umfwiti is real, though rarely spoken about in day-to-day conversations. I have heard many 2nd and 3rd hand stories, and at least one first-hand account about experiences with umfwiti. Even on television and in the papers, news reporters don't clarify that witchcraft "isn't real." I remember seeing a story about a man who had a "satanic cell phone," a possessed cross wrapped in yarn, that allowed him to talk to his satanic colleagues without needing to buy airtime. The reporter left it up to the viewer whether or not to believe that this man's story was true.

Now please don't confuse a "mfwiti," or witch, with an "ng'anga" or traditional healer, though the lines may be blurry at times. An ng'anga uses herbs, roots, and other local medicines and techniques handed down over generations to treat a variety of ailments. Now the reason I say the lines become blurry, is because some ng'anga don't just offer medicine for physical ailments, but also claim to be able to recover lost property or lost lovers, or to help you win a sporting event or get a job. Just check the classified section of any Zambian newspaper. (Some big libraries in the US have the Times or the Post.)

Ng'anga do have respect in Zambia, and internationally, and are actually important players in health issues, including the fight against HIV and AIDS: http://allafrica.com/stories/201008290005.html

There are other interesting traditional beliefs in the supernatual in Zambia. My husband is working on a term paper about how music is used to communicate with ancestors. He has also written about a healing ceremony called "mashabe," where a dancer becomes possesed by a spirit who tells them how to heal a sick person.

Here in the USA, where witchcraft pretty much just serves to lend imagery to a day of dressing up and eating candy, our little family has avoided most things spooky or other-worldy for Halloween this year. We did decorate pumpkins. (We didn't carve them, because we're planning to eat them!) And we took our daughter, Nzinzi, to watch a spectacular Pumpkin Festival Parade in Sycamore, IL, dressed as a ladybug ("ladybird" for you speakers of the Queen's English). She got her groove on each time a marching band passed and loved the dogs and horses, and the Shriners in their little cars and funny hats. Here she is, smiling with a little chibanda (ghost) in her hand.

Please write to me with your superstitious stories from Zambia!

Nyanja vocabulary of the week:


umfwiti - witchcraft
mfwiti - witch
ng'anga - traditional healer
mashabe - healing ceremony from Eastern Province of Zambia
chibanda - ghost

Last but not least, here's a song by one of my all time favorite Zambian bands, The Witch. Too bad they're not around anymore.