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On Guinean Witch Doctor's Findings: Courtesy: Liberian Observer 12 April, 2010  A
witch doctor invited from the Republic of Guinea by chiefs and elders of
Lawalazu Town, Voinjama District in Lofa County has arrived in northern
Liberia. On a mission to identify witches and ensure that their ugly deeds are effectively brought under control, the witch doctor, since his arrival in the district, identified several persons alleged to be involved in the death of scores of children and other activities. So far, a school principal, customs officer and 27 others including women and the elderly have been rounded up for their alleged involvement in witchcraft. Interestingly, out of the 29 suspects arraigned before the witch doctor and other local authorities, 17 have 'confessed' to be in possession of 'witch' while the rest have protested against the witch doctor's claims. Those who 'confessed' to the act of witchcraft include two virtually blind persons, one wheelchair-ridden elderly man, and some women as well as other older men. Among those who denied the allegations are the Customs agent assigned in the area, one James Jallah. He has been suspected of possessing Kakuzarlee, meaning in Lorma dialect 'medicine pan'. Since his assignment as Customs officer in the area, James Jallah has worked there for over 30 years. Another suspect, one Kawa Sanoe, is allegedly in possession of Klay-klay, meaning 'one day' in a dialect of Guinean Kissi people. Klay-klay is alleged to be a medicine that causes a victim's death in one day. Lawalazu Public School Principal Charles Zayzay, suspected of possessing a dangerous talisman that was reported to have caused the death of one student from his school every year, also denied ever owning any pot filled with cowries and other 'bad medicines' and/or mascots. Some of the suspected witches and wizards are reported to possess 'dragons' and 'breeze' that are mysteriously used to divert money destined for the town for development purposes. According to Lawalazu Town Chief, Jallah Yennen, the town had been victimized by deaths of several persons including the youth. “Based on this and others, the town authorities, in collaboration with the youth organization of the town, unanimously agreed and sent for the Guinean witch doctor to 'clean' the town of suspected witches,” Town Chief Yennen told the Daily Observer in the town at sunset on Monday, April 5, 2010 . According to him, some people including school-going children died in the town every year without a genuine cause and for that '”we collected money and invited the Zoe to come and traditionally perform here.” Though Lofa County Superintendent is reportedly out of the county on 'official duty', his office administrative assistant formed part of the teeming crowd that witnessed the exercise as it was unfolding. Other onlookers included officers from the Lofa County Detachment of the Liberia National Police, the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (BIN) as well as personnel from the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). For his part, the Guinean witch doctor, Tamba Kamanon, 22, (Leopard taboo) as his last name is interpreted in the Kissi dialect told the Daily Observer that he had been in the acts of unearthing witches for five years. According to him, those who were denying possessing 'witches' by challenging his (Tamba) witch authorities were doing so only to save their faces from public ridicule, but in the dark world, they are involved. Interestingly, each of those that confessed to the acts of possessing witchcraft are fined by the witch doctor with L$1,000, one chicken, two kilos of red oil and one liter of locally produced gin. |
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