QuotePolice say locals accused women and men of ‘bewitching’ their children
NAIROBI, Kenya - A group of up to 300 young men have burned to death 11 people suspected of being witches and wizards in western Kenya â€" in some cases slitting their victims' throats or clubbing them to death before burning their bodies, officials said.
The gang moved from home to home through two villages, identifying their victims by using a list with names of suspected witches and wizards and the kind of spells they were believed to have cast on the community, said Ben Makori, a local councilor.
"The villagers are complaining that the (suspected) wizards and witches are making the bright children in the community dumb.... These (suspected) witches are not doing good things to us," Makori told The Associated Press on the phone.
Deputy police spokesman Charles Owino said the gang hunted down the eight women and three men in the western Kenya villages of Kekoro and Matembe. Most of the victims were between 70 and 90 years old, Owino said.
Senior administrator Njoroge Ndirangu said the gang hunted down their victims Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
(continued at source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24759141/ (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24759141/) )
Well, what do you know, msnbc news is "in the zone" - usually their articles that capture my interest are few and far between...
That said, the wizards and witches were making bright children dumb, eh? I thought lack of education did that..? Oh well... Kenya is mostly Christian and Christians do have a knack for blaming the devil for pretty much everything they can not directly influence. Why they had to take their frustration out on some 80-years-old-one-foot-in-the-grave-might-be-witch is beyond me though.
QuoteThat said, the wizards and witches were making bright children dumb, eh? I thought lack of education did that..?
Sounds like Athens' case against Socrates, who was accused of 'corrupting' the youth. It's an easy scapegoat charge if you want somebody dead in a developing country. It's amazing how people constantly rail on about the state of education throughout history in every part of the world. Unusually common.