The Catholic Bishop of Kampala urged the vendors of Owino Market to stay away from witchcraft. That sent my mind buzzing with questions: Did I read the same line before as the white man came denigrating our way of life? What is witchcraft about, anyway?
The description "Witchdoctor" has a dark and disparaging undertone to it. So, I would rather refer to such a person as a medicine man or woman. His or her pratice is often referred to as "witchcraft." Again, a description underscoring the negative perception. Basically, a medicine wo/man wears many hats: S/he is a psychotherapist, a pharmacist, a physician and a counselor. A true medicine wo/man works on the mind, the body and relationships--key areas where we humans often fail to navigate our way through successfuly.
I posit that the good bishop's efforts are in the same areas as the medicine man, and he uses no less arcane tricks to achieve his ends. In the picture we see him wearing a white dress with a purple band and cap. On his neck hangs a man on the cross. When he performs in his church, he does things that are no less magical than the medicine person. He asks his audience to eat of the body of a Jew and drink of his blood in the forms of some wafer bread and wine which then makes the Jewish Jesus to enter the soul of the receiver. That is magic. Next time I will ask for a bottle of Merlot or Malbec for it to be worth my time--for then will I be able to see a change in me after downing a bottle.
The medicine man equally does his things: sounds, images, concoctions and what have you to change the states and circumstances of his clients.
I would rather not have the medicine man kill somebody in order to harvest the scrotum of a young lad to feed to a client to enhance a failing libido, for example. He has enough power and other tools that can effectively "cure" the mind of his client. If the libido problem is physical, a good medicine man should be able to concoct some herbs. But killing, per se, is not something foreign in the traditions of the bishop's line of trade either. The Christ basically committed suicide to offer his body and blood. How could a God get killed by mere mortals?
