By Leo Igwe
The recent incident of witchcraft accusation in Malawi underscores the danger of superstitions but also the imperative of fostering critical thinking and philosophical inquiry in schools. This instance of allegation involved pupils who accused their teacher of practicing ‘witchcraft’ at Mpamba Primary School in Nkhata Bay. Local media sources stated that pupils linked the teacher to “a blood-stained fork allegedly dancing in a toilet and a coffin containing two children allegedly seen rolling around inside a school pit latrine “. The rumour stirred up a mob that attacked and burnt down the teacher’s house. Some suspects are in police custody. Authorities found no evidence to support the accusation and ordered the school closed. Education officers asked the parents and traditional rulers to compensate the teacher before the school could resume activities.
A closure of the school may be a stop gap measure, a temporary solution. It could be effective in the short term in curbing violence and abuses linked to witchcraft beliefs. At least the school authorities would use the opportunity to reflect and explore measures to avoid such incidents in the future.
But all efforts to stem accusations and related violence would amount to nothing if authorities do not introduce the subject of critical thinking or philosophy for children in schools. Witch persecution is a mindset issue. Witchcraft fears are rooted in dogma and blind faith, in irrational and superstitious cosmologies. The recent incident is not isolated. Accusations and attacks related to witchcraft anxieties are rampant in schools across Malawi.
Witchcraft accusations signify an educational failure, an indictment on the school system. Students and young people often constitute the mob. They accuse and engage in arson and attack, delivering jungle justice to the supposed witch. An educational measure that reorients children and youths has become a necessity. Promotion of critical thinking and inquiry-based learning will address this menace in schools. Educational authorities should encourage the inculcation of critical thinking skills in primary and secondary schools. They should get children to think philosophically and independently.
From an early age, children should be taught to ask questions, interrogate claims, and seek evidence. In primary and secondary schools, pupils should learn to demand proof and spot errors and fallacies in reasoning. Inquiry-based learning will help counteract the dogmatization and indoctrination that motivate students to accuse and subsequently attack their teachers.
If the pupils at Mpamba Primary School had been exposed to inquiry based learning; if they thought critically and philosophically, they would not have been swayed by superstitious rumours. They would not have attacked their teacher or burnt the property. The students would have asked questions and demanded evidence for the claims. The claim of ‘some bloodied fork’ or some occult ‘snake’ or ‘moving coffin’ would not have motivated them to perpetrate violent actions.
To avoid recurrence of these violent attacks, authorities in Malawi should facilitate the teaching of critical thinking and philosophy for children in schools.
Leo Igwe, who directs Advocacy for Alleged Witches, sent in this piece from Wurzburg, Germany
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