Superstition: a Tswana culturalaspect that has stood the test of time!

Ike Vavi
Correspondent | Monday January 17, 2011 00:00

Although some people dismiss superstition as irrational and scientifically deficient, there appears to be a strong belief that it has stood the test of time. For Kavuka Tembwe, 'Superstition continues to be a deeply guarded secret in our society. It is so strong that it actually controls the way people think. It is characterised by the dismal failure to exercise critical thinking and to apply reason. This failure is usually sugar coated by being ‘celebrated’ as an African mode of thinking'.

He maintains that because of this superstition, 'Everything that happens will always have an underlying 'African' explanation in addition to the scientific explanations and /or investigations that have been provided.'

He maintains that, 'It is unfortunate that these  irrational  beliefs such as witch craft, charms and other ritualistic beliefs occupy and dilute the thinking  of many people. This has unfortunately brought misery and unexplained fear into the lives of many. People cannot be at peace with themselves and at times are failing to enjoy and lead happier and normal lives because of the fear induced by this superstitious beliefs.'

He reveals that the belief in this phenomenon continues to be the driving force at times of the collapse of families and the lack of internal stability of so many societies. Churches have been torn apart. Relatives are no longer cooperating. Members of society no longer trust each other. All this is because of the belief in things such as witchcraft, he says.

Motshereganyi Timothy observes that, although most people would not talk or admit it, superstition is wreaking havoc in our society. In extreme cases even the appearance of a neighbour's dog or cat in the nearby home is suspiciously dealt with.

He says that it is common for people to always try to explain any events or happenings.  'Even when the cause of death would have been identified, some people will always have the feeling that they have to ascertain if there was no third force involved. Go tshwanetswe ga chekiwa pele gore a mme ke leso fela latholego ga a dirwa sepe (it has to ascertained if it was just a natural death or there is foul play),' he says.

Timothy notes that even in situations when people fail to spend their money wisely, they blame it on witchcraf.

When marriages fall apart because of clear cases of infidelity, still some people appeal to superstition to explain such circumstances. Even when somebody is involved in a car accident because of careless driving, people would try and find something sinister about it. 'This shows the convictions that some people have in so far as superstition is concerned in our society.'

He says that this superstition is negatively affecting even the way the society defines and conceptualise concepts such as illness and disease. At times when people are sick, they waste a lot of time and money trying to 'investigate' the cause of sickness and even death without asking for timely medical intervention. 'We end up losing lives unnecessarily,' he charges.

Onias Phindani agrees that superstition is very common in our society. 'People believe in it very much. They will always think that if things do not go the way they have planned, there must be something that is causing that,' he  says, adding that 'even when someone fails to secure employment because of the stiff competition in the job market, some people would think that they have bad luck. When somebody wins a court case, some will always conclude that that is because of the use of a powerful muti or other supernatural powers.'

He observes that even the hard work of other people cannot be recognised.  'Even when other people try to improve their lives by running their business effectively such that they become successful, such initiatives may not applauded but instead people will simply attribute that to the use of very strong charms to attract customers or to run the business,' notes Phindani.

He explains that even in the workplaces this superstition belief at times pollutes the working environment. The interpersonal relations in the work place are at times strained by these beliefs. Others fail to work harmoniously with others because they believe they might be bewitching them. 'Even when others get promotion because of their qualifications or hard work others are quick to dismiss it as nothing but the works of a charm or toise as it is popularly called,' he explains. He is of the view that some people believe so much in this such that whatever they do revolve around this concept. 'This has therefore given some people the opportunity to take advantage of such mentality and turned this belief in superstition into profitable undertakings. People continue to be robbed of their hard earned cash under the pretext that their monies will be multiplied. There are even those who claim that they can even enlarge somebody’s private parts,' he argues.

A sociology and Psychology lecturer in the Institute of Health Sciences in Francistown, Anita Lebengo, describes superstition as an integral part of the cultural belief systems of Batswana. 'The belief is so entrenched such that it controls the lives of many people. It is one cultural aspect that informs how individuals depending on their superstitions define the world. In other words, it defines the world view of those who believe in them.'

She continues, noting that 'it is one of the cultural aspects that continue to be central to some people's lives. It is one cultural aspect that seems to cut across the belief systems of almost all of our tribes. It is a belief that is demonstrated in so many different ways that manifest themselves on how people lead their lives.'