Comments on: Stuff African People Like: Talking about Demons and Satan

By: Mwangi

Mwangi — Wed, 14 May 2008 04:08:44 +0000

@Aco: And in the West it’s called “being spiritual” instead of religious

By: acolyte

acolyte — Wed, 14 May 2008 04:05:19 +0000

Sigh, we have always been superstitious people as Africans. Saved or unsaved!

By: Mwangi

Mwangi — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:12:03 +0000

@gal: LOL, sorry for that…..just keep chanting to yourself:

“Remember it’s satirical, remember it’s satirical, remember it’s satirical…..”
and then follow that with:

“Sweet dreams! Sweet dreams! Sweet dreams!………”

By: gal africana

gal africana — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:42:16 +0000

I SHOULD NOT HAVE READ THIS BEFORE BEDTIME! Scariiiiiiii

The naija movies are spooky beyond belief…the funny thing is most west Africans really believe in that stuff…

Ai I’m spooked now.

By: Mwangi

Mwangi — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:46:48 +0000

@Mo Ma: As I was saying to Kelly above, it is kinda hard to dismiss our superstition entirely as jokes when so many “weird supernatural events” take place all the time. There was actually a brief period of time where all of my mother’s dreams came true i.e. she dreams that something will happen and the next day or a couple of days later it happens exactly as she envisioned in her dream.
What I would love though, is to go through all the traditional superstitions and beliefs of the various tribes of Africa- I am sure there are just golden stories somewhere in there.

By: Mwangi

Mwangi — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:43:42 +0000

@Kelly: The human mind is ridiculously powerful. It’s very difficult to dismiss things like “evil eye” and “pointing of the bone” as mere superstition when people believed in them and a lot of the time they used to come true…..the power of the human mind is yet to be fully explored and understood me thinks.

By: Mwangi

Mwangi — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:40:03 +0000

@sunny: Thanks for the Afrovision link, it looks great!
It is weird how Naija Boys and Accra girls have come to represent superstitious stereotypes. My guess is because of the movies…you make enough movies with witch doctors in it and it can’t help but rub on the national stereotype. To compete, perhaps we can make more movies and television shows with witchdoctors in it (btw for anyone from Kenya….remember the Kamba witchdoctor from the program Tausi? Priceless)

By: Mo Ma

Mo Ma — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:38:03 +0000

Talk about coincidences, I was formulating a similar post in my head during today’s lecture. Are you sure you didn’t use some ‘other manner’ of accessing my thoughts…

I for one totally and completely believe in the supernatural; not ghosts per-se in the mold of dead people walking the earth, but spirits that live amongst us.

My grandmother (whom I totally trust & would have no reason to make this up) told this story of something that happened some decades ago. She got startled in the middle of the night and woke up to see this shining figure floating above her. The figure then spoke and told her “I’m not here for you; I’m here for Ebla” then it moved away. She (somehow) feel back to sleep and, the following morning, awoke to hear that Ebla (her co-wife) had passed in her sleep.

The Angel of Death? You tell me.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:16:20 +0000

Ok, I think I should start watching Naija movies. I have never watched them, but my Mum always has these stories about how some husband was imprisoned in a bottle..lol..
What about the signboards everywhere about Mganga from TZ, or MSA who will aolve a myriad of problems ranging from sexual impotence to success in business? Or the wives who claim that their husbands have been bewitched by young gals?

Do you think our belief in witchcraft and demons brings them into existence?

By: sunny

sunny — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:55:00 +0000

afrovision.tv
suggested for the GH/Naija movies you speak of. Funny how we are quick to call out our west African brothers and sisters, when really the clearest examples are at home and in our own minds and hearts.