Is this REALLY Africa?!: Child Sacrifice and ‘Witch Doctors’ in Uganda

I recently came across an “investigative” BBC report about the issue of child sacrifice by ‘witch doctors’ in Uganda and looked at the video with total disgust! After watching the video, Ngakhunjuzwa ngesikhathi ngiya esitolo nomngane wami, owaphenywa imibuzo ngushashi wezimali osemncane wase-Afrika-waseMelika. Ubuze ngomsuka wesongo ayeligqokile nalapho ephendula ngokuthi “Ghana, Africa; kufanele uye lapho ngolunye usuku,” wambuka ngokunengeka wabe esephendula ngokuthi “awu… angifuni ukuya e-Afrika.” Ephawula ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi usuka kuyo kanye le ndawo angayifuni ngokusobala, washintsha iphimbo lakhe futhi wazama ukudambisa isimo ngokuqhubeka esho ukuthi wayengafuni ukushiya i-U.S.. Ngemva kokubuka ividiyo ephazamisayo, kungani umuntu efuna ukuya e-Uganda noma kuphi e-Afrika ngalolo daba?! Indawo lapho ‘bebenza’ khona amasiko anobulwane nangenabuntu njengokunikela ngezingane? Indawo lapho ‘banezangoma;’ lapho abantu abanemali bethumba futhi babulale izingane ngenjongo yokuzidela ngethemba lokuthola ingcebo nokuchuma.? I-WTF ayilungile ngalaba bantu?! Uma ukuqonda kwakho i-Uganda noma i-Afrika kukhawulelwe kububanzi uma le vidiyo, khona-ke impendulo engenhla iqinisekisiwe. Uma wazi kahle nge-Afrika futhi wabukela ividiyo nge Fela Kutiisimemezelo sokuthi "99.9% kolwazi olutholayo nge-Afrika alulungile” engqondweni, lapho-ke uzoba nemibuzo ngomthelela omubi ezoba nawo kubantu base-Uganda nabase-Afrika kanye nezinga lapho iveza futhi iqhubekisela phambili imibono engemihle yama-Afrika.. Angikho esimweni sokuthi wonke umuntu uzimisele "ukuthola" i-Afrika nokuthi konke okwenziwa ukungabaza isiko nemikhuba yase-Afrika kwenziwa ngenxa yonya.. Ngiyaqaphela ukuthi kukhona amasiko athile angenabo ubuntu, kungakhathaliseki isizinda sabo samasiko nomlando. Nokho, Ngikholwa ukuthi noma iyiphi inkinga ethinta noma egxeka isiko kufanele yenziwe ngendlela ehlanganisayo nenolwazi oluningi. Okubalulekile wukuthi umkhuba wokunikela ngezingane uwubulwane futhi awulungile neze. Nokho, kulokhu kwakamuva 2011 umbiko we-BBC kanye nombiko owandulelayo ngodaba olufanayo ku 2010, Nami iyangiphazamisa ukuthi: 1) Ayinikezi nganoma yisiphi isizinda mayelana nomkhuba wokwenza umhlatshelo wezingane kanye nabantu futhi ishiya umbono wokuthi kungokwemvelo e-Uganda nakwabaningi., ngokwandisa i-Afrika 2) "Uphenyo" lwenziwa ngokufaka kweqembu labantu abakhetha kakhulu, iningi labo abanokuningi abangakuzuza ngokwenza ihaba nokwenza lula umkhuba 3) Inikeza umbono ongemuhle ngodaba olujwayelekile lokunyamalala kwezingane e-Uganda futhi ishiya umbono wokuthi ukuduka kwazo zonke izingane kuhlobene nokuthi zenziwe umhlatshelo. 4) Ububanzi bayo obulinganiselwe bomkhuba wokwenza imihlatshelo ngezingane kanye nokukhuphuka nokudlondlobala kwakho okusobala e-Uganda kuqinisa umbono oshiwo kubantu base-Afrika ngemibono yobandlululo yokuthi “bangamaqaba namahlakaniphi”

Umhlatshelo Wengane: isithombe nguMarco Vernaschi

Umkhuba wokwenza imihlatshelo ngezingane noma ngabantu awugcini nje emingceleni yase-Uganda noma ezwenikazi lase-Afrika. In fact, kunenqwaba yemibhalo yomlando mayelana nalo mkhuba emasikweni ahlukene emhlabeni jikelele. Ngokwesibonelo, isiko lamaInca lalinikela ngezingane esikweni elibizwa ngokuthi i-capacoha; ngokwemibhalo yamaRoma neyamaGreki ebhalwe kahle, Abantu baseFenike nabaseCarthage babenikela ngezinsana konkulunkulu babo; amaShayina asendulo nawo aziwa ngokwenza imihlatshelo yezinsizwa nezintombi konkulunkulu basemfuleni ngisho naseBhayibhelini, kuGenesise 22, ikhuluma ngomkhuba wokunikela ngezingane. Engikushoyo uma ngikubalula konke lokhu wukukhombisa ukuthi lo mkhuba ononya nobuqaba awuveli e-Afrika njengoba kungase kuhunyushwe yividiyo.. After watching the video, Ngiphinde ngenze ucwaningo njengoba nganginesiqiniseko sokuthi akumina ngedwa oshiye lezi zinkinga esezishiwo ngenhla. Ekuqinisekiseni ukukholwa kwami, Ngathola impendulo emfushane kujenali I-Anthropology NamuhlanguPat Caplan lapho ekhuluma khona ngokukhathazeka okuvezwe isazi sesayensi yesintu, kuhlanganise naye, mayelana nalo mbiko "wophenyo" we-BBC ophathelene nokunikelwa kwezingane e-Uganda. Ubalule ukuthi "idlanzana le-anthropologist yama-Afrika ehlonishwayo" liwugxekile umbiko wokuqala ngalolu daba ngemuva kokuthi ushicilelwe ngo. 2010 "sokuqinisa ukucwasa okukhona kanye nemibono esetshenziswa abantu abangewona ama-Afrika, ikakhulukazi abaseNtshonalanga” futhi babiza imibiko enjalo ngokuthi “iyingozi” njengoba “ivame ukukhuthaza ubulungisa bezixuku.” Lezi zazi ze-anthropologists ziphinde zazwakalisa ukukhathazeka ngokuthi ochwepheshe bayazithanda bona, abanolwazi lonke ngomlando namasiko azungeze lo mkhuba futhi kubonakala sengathi udlangile e-Uganda, akuzange kuxhunyanwe nabo ukuze banikeze ukuqonda okuhlanganisayo nokuncane okungajwayelekile kwendaba. Baphinde baphawula ukuthi indaba efanayo, ngokusobala ubhala izinsolo zokuhlukunyezwa kwezingane ngoSathane e-Afrika, yashicilelwa e-UK emashumini amabili eminyaka edlule kodwa kamuva kwafakazelwa ukuthi ingamanga embikweni owawuthunywe uhulumeni kanye nesazi sesayensi yesintu uJean La Fontaine ku. 1994. Lesi sihloko siphinde saveza iphuzu elibaluleke kakhulu lokuthi abadlali bendawo abebesebenza “njengochwepheshe” kule mibiko ye-BBC njengongqongqoshe kahulumeni., Ama-NGO/ama-NGO namabandla, njengoba bedlala indima evelele kakhulu ohlelweni lwezenhlalakahle lwase-Uganda kunaseNtshonalanga futhi ngenxa yalokho, bathembele kakhulu kubaxhasi bangaphandle. Ngakho-ke, I-ajenda yabo kufanele ifakwe imibuzo. Ukwengeza, indaba ‘yenyanga’ eguquliwe ukuthi wabulala ngaphezu 70 izingane futhi "ziguqulwe" 2400 ‘Izangoma’ nazo kufanele zibhekisiswe njengoba kuye kwavuma iningi lalezi “zinyanga” ukuthi inqwaba yokubulawa ezaziqhosha ngakho kwaqanjwa amanga njengendlela yokuthuthukisa isithunzi sazo..

Umhlatshelo Wengane: isithombe nguMarco Vernaschi

Le vidiyo iphinde yehluleka ukunikeza ezinye izincazelo mayelana nendaba yokunyamalala kwezingane futhi inikeza umbono wokuthi iningi, uma kungesikho konke, ukunyamalala kwezingane e-Uganda kuwumphumela wokunikelwa kwezingane. Behlulekile ukunaka lezo zindaba ezinjengokushushumbiswa kwezingane; ukuthatha izitho zomzimba ukuze uhwebe ngomshoshaphansi wamazwe ngamazwe, impi nezinye izinkinga zazingaba nomthelela ekunyamaleni kwezingane ezidukile e-Uganda. Ukusho ukuthi konke noma ukunyamalala kwezingane eziningi ezweni kubangelwa umkhuba wokunikela ngezingane, iqondisa ukunaka kwezinye izindaba ezibalulekile ezithinta izingane kanye nokuphepha kwazo e-Uganda. UCaplan naye usho lokho, ngokusho kwe-anthropologist yase-Uganda, Agnes Kamya, kweyakhe ibuza ngendaba yokuhlabela izingane ngenhloso yokuthakatha, utshelwe ukuthi akwaziwa ngesiko lase-Uganda futhi kuthiwa “kuhlobene kakhulu nokutholakala yonke indawo kwamafilimu adumile aseNigeria nemidlalo ye-soap opera lapho kwenziwa khona ukusebenzelana nemimoya - okuhlanganisa nokuhlabela izingane.- ngokuvamile isici. Ukwengeza, kulinganiselwa ukuthi sekuphelile 85% abantu base-Uganda bangamaKristu, over 12% noma amaSulumane futhi mayelana kuphela 1% babambelele emikhubeni yendabuko nje. Thus, amaphesenti amancane kakhulu azophishekela futhi enze umkhuba wendabuko njengokunikela ngezingane njengeningi, lo mkhuba uphambene nezinkolelo zabo. Angizideleli izindaba zanoma yimuphi umuntu okuvidiyo futhi angingabazi ukuthi umkhuba womhlatshelo wezingane ukhona yini e-Uganda. In fact, Ngiyakholwa ukuthi kukhona abambalwa abakhethiwe abahlanganyela kulo mkhuba futhi banombono wokuthi kuwubulwane futhi kuwubulwane nokuthi zonke izindlela ezingenzeka kufanele zibhekwe futhi ziphoqelelwe ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukuthi uyaqedwa.. Ngikholelwa futhi zonke izimpendulo kanye nokuphikisana nalo mkhuba, ngabe kwenziwa ngesinye noma 1 izigidi zezingane, aqinisekisiwe. Engikuphikisayo, however, kuyimibiko enganikezeli nje kuphela umbono ongemuhle nojwayelekile wezwe lonke futhi ngokwesandiso, izwekazi. Ngiphinde ngiphikisane neqiniso lokuthi lo mbono onomqondo omncane usiza kakhulu ukuqhubekisela phambili imibono engemihle ekhona ngaphambili.. Umuntu angacabanga ukuthi ngemva kokukhululwa kwendaba yokuqala ku 2010 kanye nokugxeka okwalandela, ukuthi i-BBC ibizokhuluma ngalezi zinkinga ngendlela ehlukile; eyodwa ebingacabangela ukukhathazeka okuveziwe. Nokho, ezweni lapho abantu bekuthola kunzima ukuzitika kunoma yini engaphezu kwalokho 140 abalingiswa, umuntu angaqagela kuphela ngokukhetha kwabo “ukubika.” UBenjamin Franklin omkhulu wasixwayisa ngokuthi “ningakholwa yilokhu enikubonayo nengxenye yalokho enikuzwayo.” Yize udaba lokunikela ngezingane luyiqiniso futhi luyaqwashisa uma udaba lubalulekile ekusizeni ukunqanda lo mkhuba, kufanele futhi siqaphele ukuthi lezi zindaba zethulwa kanjani kithi futhi kufanele siqaphele iqiniso lokuthi ngokuvamile zingaba nemiphumela efinyelela kude hhayi kuphela kulowo ohlukunyeziwe., kodwa isixuku sonke.