Christian Pastors and Alleged Child Witches in Kinshasa, DRC

Abstract

Against earlier predictions, witch accusations are proliferating and flourishing in many modern, urban, and Christian environments. And they are taking new forms. One dramatic change involves who is accused, with children now often the prime suspects when misfortunes occur. Another dramatic change relates to who is consulted when witch suspicions are present. Rather than non-Christian diviners or traditional healers, many now consult Christian pastors and prophets for help in identifying witches and dealing with them. Based on a survey of 713 pastoral leaders in Kinshasa from all major church traditions, and on supplemental qualitative research, this report 1) explores the profile of accused children, 2) identifies what these children are accused of, 3) identifies what sorts of evidence are used to establish the guilt of the accused child, and 4) considers the consequences to the child of being labeled a witch. Furthermore, this report explores what it is that church leaders believe, teach, and practice in relationship to child-witch allegations—considering the role of church tradition and theological education on their patterns of understanding and engagement. Specifically, we identify and examine two broad paradigms widely present in Kinshasa churches—a “witch diagnosis and deliverance paradigm” and a “child protection paradigm.” We consider some grassroots strategies of transformative engagement engaged in by l’Équipe Pastorale auprès des Enfants en Détresse [EPED] leaders, and end by inviting African theological and pastoral leaders into a conversation about the impact of theological understandings, congregational discourses, spiritual disciplines, and pastoral practices on the well-being and flourishing of vulnerable children.

Child witchcraft confessions as an idiom of distress in Sierra Leone; results of a rapid qualitative inquiry and recommendations for mental health interventions

“…Challenging the belief system is an important religious effort that needs to come from within local societies to prevent it from being dismissed as another “neo-colonial” imposition [ 31 ]. Efforts towards this have been made by Christian organizations in other parts of Africa who question the theological validity of local concepts of witchcraft [ 48 – 50 ]. Since our findings suggest that the decision that a child is a witch is usually made at the mesosystem level (where actors of the microsystem level interact), mental health interventions should be systemic (including the family) and inter-sectoral (e.g.…”

“…Challenging the belief system is an important religious effort that needs to come from within local societies to prevent it from being dismissed as another “neo-colonial” imposition [ 31 ]. Efforts towards this have been made by Christian organizations in other parts of Africa who question the theological validity of local concepts of witchcraft [ 48 – 50 ].…”

"Child Witches": Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Homeless Girls in South-Southern Nigeria

“…The forces of globalization have meant that the phenomenon of the child witch in contemporary Africa and the consequent maltreatment and murder of children are also witnessed outside the African continent, particularly in the UK (Agazue, 2015;Keeble, 2010), where African revivalist Pentecostal churches are known as a driving factor for this problem (Agyapong, 2020;Cimpric, 2010;Geschiere, 2020;Mildnerova , 2016;Nyika, 2020;Priest et al, 2020;Quansah, 2012;van der Meer, 2013) currently proliferate (Agazue, 2015). Witchcraft-related abuses, including murders by African families in the UK, have also been documented (Agazue, 2015).…”

“…Although the reference to this biblical verse may seem to suggest that the pastors are acting on genuine belief, this is not always the case. Whilst some pastors may genuinely believe that children are witches in line with the traditional lore as well as their own poor level of understanding of the abnormalities and aberrant behaviors in children (Agazue, 2015; 2020) many pastors draw on this extant belief to perpetuate fear and capitalize on their adherents' fear of witches to make money (Agazue, 2015(Agazue, , 2020Cimpric, 2010;Javier, 2005;Priest et al, 2020). Cases abound wherein parents were charged huge sums of money by pastors in order to spiritually assess and/or exorcise their children.…”

30. Summary of, and Response to, Critiques and Commentaries of Other Scholars on the Subject of Witch Accusations and the Church

“…This is both because of the gravity of what is at stake in human lives, and because of the complexity of the issues and dynamics involved. Thus this journal publishes here a major research report and analysis (Priest, Ngolo, and Stabell, 2020) intended to foster such an interdisciplinary conversation. In addition, it has extended an invitation to selected Christian scholars understood to have knowledge or expertise on the topic-an invitation to first read the lead essay and then to write their own brief response articles-focusing selectively on whichever issues or dynamics they choose.…”