Malawi’s ‘witches’ challenge century-old sorcery law
| FEATURE |
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LILONGWE — When Kanthukako Supaunyolo’s grandson woke up in the night with a nosebleed, his parents were enraged by what they saw as a bad omen and a certain product of sorcery.
They accused the 82-year-old grandmother of casting a spell on him, and filed a criminal complaint of witchcraft, landing her in jail under a century-old law now under fire by both non-believers and self-proclaimed witches.
“How could I bewitch my own grandchild. For what?” said the soft-spoken woman.
She and two elderly friends were convicted and sentenced to 33-dollar fines each, a steep sum for women who — like 62 percent of Malawians — live on less than two dollars a day. When they could not pay, they were jailed..... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110710com6.html
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