US-based Ghanaian painter and author, TAFA has made a bold claim in his recent book. He states that belief in witchcrat is misplaced. In his latest book Tafa details the arguments against the age-old belief which he agrees is universal but which he thinks is not based on concrete evidence from the African point of view.
Speaking on iKulcha TV and Radio Kulcha, the New York based artist and author stated that growing up in Ghana he was immersed in the cultural viewpoint that witches actually existed until he was confronted by a series of events which led to questioning that assertion.
In his latest book entitled There are No Witches In Africa, Tafa details some of the claims of witchcraft from different points of view, including from self-confessions and painstakingly attempts to debunk these claims.
I decided to go into this witchcraft thing; investigate, talk to people; research. And after like 10 years I came out with the conclusion that you know what? This is just superstition; there’s no truth in it
He points to a situation in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria where kids as young as 6 years old, had been accused of witchcraft by their parents and kicked out of the house, as the driving factor that led him to research the phenomenon.
“I decided to go into this witchcraft thing; investigate, talk to people; research. And after like 10 years I came out with the conclusion that you know what? This is just superstition; there’s no truth in it” he told host Kwesi E. Baako.
He clarified that he is differentiating between African spiritual systems such as the Babalawo in Nigeria, The Okomfo in Ghana and the Marabouts in Senegal and focusing solely and primarily on the concept of Witchcraft .
He stated that about 10 years ago, after learning about the Akwa Ibom case and others, he decided to look closely into the tenets of the belief system and has come out with a clear answer; There Are No Witches In Africa.
He also examines the idea in other parts of the world, but centers the book on the African concept of witchcraft.
The artist’s comments touch on long-standing beliefs about witchcraft in parts of Africa, where accusations of witchcraft have sometimes had serious social consequences.
The book is available on Amazon and is soon going to be available in audiobooks format.
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