When Witchcraft Fear Becomes Persecution

Introduction

In Tanzania, belief in witchcraft has sometimes moved beyond private conviction and become a driver of persecution against identifiable people. Rather than a case of mass psychogenic illness or a shared panic in which everyone experiences similar symptoms, these episodes involve accusations directed at specific individuals who are blamed for illness, crop failure, family misfortune or unexpected deaths. The consequences have included assaults, forced displacement and killings, with older women and people with albinism facing the greatest risk. Although these forms of violence have attracted international attention, researchers emphasise that they arise from a combination of long-standing beliefs, local conflicts, economic pressures and criminal exploitation rather than from a single cultural tradition.[ru.ac.za]journal.ru.ac.zaOctober 1, 2000…Published: October 1, 2000

Why Particular People Become Targets

Older women have long been disproportionately accused of practising witchcraft in parts of northern Tanzania, especially in the Mwanza and Shinyanga regions. Researchers studying communities in Magu District found that accusations often fell on widows, elderly women living alone or women whose appearance, particularly red eyes caused by years of cooking over smoky fires, was interpreted as evidence of supernatural activity. Such accusations frequently followed unexplained illness, livestock deaths, poor harvests or disputes within extended families rather than any observable criminal act.[journal.ru.ac.za]journal.ru.ac.zaOctober 1, 2000…Published: October 1, 2000

Academic studies argue that these accusations cannot be understood simply as survival of ancient beliefs. They are also shaped by rapid social and economic change. As livelihoods become more uncertain, families sometimes seek explanations for misfortune through diviners or traditional healers. Inheritance disputes, jealousy, generational conflict and competition over land may then become expressed through allegations of witchcraft. In some cases, branding an older relative a witch has enabled relatives to justify violence or removal from property.[journal.ru.ac.za]journal.ru.ac.zaOctober 1, 2000…Published: October 1, 2000

People with albinism have faced a different but equally dangerous form of persecution. Their condition has been surrounded by myths claiming that body parts possess magical powers capable of bringing wealth, political success or luck in mining and fishing. These beliefs have no basis in science, yet criminal networks have exploited them to justify murders, mutilations and trafficking in body parts. The victims are targeted because of myths attached to their appearance rather than because they are individually accused of causing harm.[ohchr.org]albinism.ohchr.orgHuman Rights Dimension of AlbinismPeople with albinism, by United Nations Human Rights…

From Family Conflict to Organised Violence

Violence linked to witchcraft accusations ranges from domestic abuse to organised criminal activity.

For older women, attacks commonly begin with rumours inside a family or village. A sudden death or prolonged illness may lead relatives to consult a diviner, after which suspicion becomes focused on one individual. Once an accusation gains social acceptance, neighbours may refuse assistance, expel the accused from the community or participate in mob violence. Researchers note that many victims are socially isolated before physical attacks occur.[journal.ru.ac.za]journal.ru.ac.zaOctober 1, 2000…Published: October 1, 2000

Attacks on people with albinism often involve a more organised pattern. Investigations by the United Nations and human rights organisations describe cases in which body parts have been sold through criminal networks serving clients seeking wealth or political influence through ritual practices. Although sensational reporting sometimes portrays such crimes as widespread features of everyday traditional belief, specialists stress that they are carried out by relatively small groups of offenders exploiting superstition for profit. Most traditional healers neither participate in nor support such crimes.[ohchr.org]albinism.ohchr.orgHuman Rights Dimension of AlbinismPeople with albinism, by United Nations Human Rights…

Northern Tanzania, particularly around the Lake Victoria region, has recorded many of the most notorious attacks, although incidents have occurred elsewhere. Human rights groups caution that official statistics almost certainly underestimate the scale of violence because families may fear retaliation or because killings are disguised as ordinary crimes or disappearances.[ohchr.org]albinism.ohchr.orgHuman Rights Dimension of AlbinismPeople with albinism, by United Nations Human Rights…

Why These Beliefs Persist

The persistence of witchcraft-related violence does not mean that most Tanzanians support it. Surveys and ethnographic research instead suggest a more complex picture in which many people simultaneously reject violence while continuing to believe that supernatural harm is possible.

Several factors reinforce accusations:

Researchers therefore distinguish between belief itself and persecution. Belief in witchcraft exists in many societies without producing systematic violence. The danger emerges when accusations become accepted as sufficient justification for punishment outside the legal system.[journal.ru.ac.za]journal.ru.ac.zaOctober 1, 2000…Published: October 1, 2000

Protection, Law and Community Prevention

Successive Tanzanian governments have attempted to reduce witchcraft-related violence through policing, criminal prosecutions and regulation of traditional healers. During periods of heightened attacks on people with albinism, authorities closed or suspended many licensed traditional healers suspected of encouraging harmful beliefs and increased security for vulnerable children. Some children with albinism were temporarily placed in specialised centres for protection, although these measures also raised concerns about long-term segregation from their families and communities.[United Nations]un.orgited Nations Albinism and Human Rights | United Nationsited NationsAlbinism and Human Rights | United Nations…

International organisations increasingly argue that protection requires more than arrests. The United Nations has emphasised public education to counter myths about albinism, better access to justice, improved healthcare and stronger protection of human rights. Campaigns also encourage accurate medical understanding of albinism as a genetic condition rather than a supernatural phenomenon.[albinism.ohchr.org]albinism.ohchr.orgHuman Rights Dimension of AlbinismPeople with albinism, by United Nations Human Rights…

Recent legal developments have increased pressure for reform. In 2025, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights found Tanzania responsible for failing to provide adequate protection for people with albinism and ordered a range of measures, including stronger legal safeguards, awareness campaigns and improved support for victims. Tanzania has also adopted a National Action Plan addressing the rights of persons with albinism.[hrw.org]hrw.orgHuman Rights WatchWorld Report 2026: Tanzania | Human Rights Watch…

Why This Matters in Tanzania’s History of Collective Belief

Within Tanzania’s broader history of collective belief, witchcraft violence occupies a distinct place. Unlike the 1962 laughter epidemic, where distress spread through social interaction without identifiable persecutors, or the Popobawa scares, where rumours generated widespread fear, witchcraft accusations concentrate suspicion on particular people. The central mechanism is not contagious illness but the transformation of shared belief into targeted persecution.

This distinction is important because it changes both the historical interpretation and the appropriate response. Medical explanations are relevant to episodes of mass psychogenic illness, while witchcraft-related killings require criminal investigation, protection of vulnerable groups, public education and efforts to reduce the social conditions that allow accusations to escalate into violence. The history of these attacks demonstrates how collective belief can become most dangerous when fear acquires a human target.[ru.ac.za]journal.ru.ac.zaOctober 1, 2000…Published: October 1, 2000

Amazon book picks

Further Reading

Books and field guides related to When Witchcraft Fear Becomes Persecution. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.

Book

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds

By Charles Mackay

Rating: 4.0/5 from 5 Google Books ratings

Discusses persecution driven by collective beliefs.

See on Amazon

Book

Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me) Third Edition

By Carol Tavris, Elliot Aronson

Explains how accusations become entrenched.

See on Amazon

Book

African religions and philosophy

By Mbiti, John S.

First published 1970. Subjects: Religion.

See on Amazon

Book

Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)

By Carol Tavris, Elliot Aronson

First published 2007. Subjects: Fouten, Vergissingen, Cognitive dissonance, Self-deception, Rechtvaardiging.

See on Amazon

Browse more on Amazon:Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of CrowdsMistakes Were Made (but Not by Me) Third EditionAfrican religions and philosophy

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Endnotes

1. Source: journal.ru.ac.za
Link:https://journal.ru.ac.za/index.php/sajog/article/view/205

Published: October 1, 2000

2. Source: albinism.ohchr.org
Title: Human Rights Dimension of Albinism
Link:https://albinism.ohchr.org/human-rights-dimension-of-albinism.html

3. Source: right-docs.org
Title: 24/57 Persons with albinism
Link:https://www.right-docs.org/doc/a-hrc-24-57/

4. Source: docstore.ohchr.org
Title: Files Handler.ashx
Link:https://docstore.ohchr.org/SelfServices/FilesHandler.ashx?enc=ETNFdzSlus0V%2BAu34blxAJcoVnR11gOyXfO1BTsOYDZkHxQuUBYP9tfmzNX7UuoduH9Cg7DLOK2NZ%2BX2HrCwSaxECVvoi1mUPQNMFZiOkkw%3D

5. Source: albinism.ohchr.org
Link:https://albinism.ohchr.org/resources.html

6. Source: minorityrights.org
Title: Minority Rights Group People with albinism in Tanzania
Link:https://minorityrights.org/communities/people-with-albinism/

7. Source: un.org
Title: ited Nations Albinism and Human Rights | United Nations
Link:https://www.un.org/en/node/206380

8. Source: hrw.org
Link:https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2026/country-chapters/tanzania

9. Source: hrw.org
Link:https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/02/09/it-felt-punishment-growing-albinism-tanzania

10. Source: un.org
Link:https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/news/first-ever-un-forum-albinism-africa-focus-less-talk-more-action

11. Source: hrw.org
Title: child marriage and human rights abuses tanzania
Link:https://www.hrw.org/report/2014/10/29/no-way-out/child-marriage-and-human-rights-abuses-tanzania

12. Source: un.org
Title: albinism and human rights
Link:https://www.un.org/en/observances/albinism-day/albinism-and-human-rights

Additional References

13. Source: ecoi.net
Link:https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/1261407.html

14. Source: journaljsrr.com
Link:https://journaljsrr.com/index.php/JSRR/article/view/1262

15. Source: amnesty.org
Title: International Ending attacks against persons with albinism
Link:https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2026/07/ending-attacks-against-persons-with-albinism/

16. Source: youtube.com
Title: South Africa’s Deadly Gold Rush & Tanzania’s Witch Hunt | Unreported World
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X99OXmMMHlQ

17. Source: youtube.com
Title: Myths fuel stigma against people living with albinism in Tanzania
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TQlRzqyWeY

18. Source: africabib.org
Link:https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=W00080716

19. Source: cambridge.org
Link:https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-modern-african-studies/article/abs/miners-magic-artisanal-mining-the-albino-fetish-and-murder-in-tanzania/80FCEE7BB458C55CFA074497F7594F0D

20. Source: scielo.org.za
Link:https://scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S1727-37812020000100041&script=sci_arttext

22. Source: docslib.org
Link:https://docslib.org/doc/4752928/elderly-women-and-witchcraft-killings-among-the-sukuma-of-northern-tanzania-from-the-1880s-to-the-present