Secret Societies: Fraternities, Witches, Wizards, and Sorcerers

Abstract

Secret societies-fraternities, witches, wizards, and sorcerers are realities in African societies. By classification, they fall under the canopy of mystical powers or spiritual forces. Any African for whatever reason(s) who denies the reality of these spiritual forces or mystical powers does so at his or her own peril. The chapter is motivated by the raging debate by some Africans in the contemporary world as to the reality or fiction of these spiritual forces or mystical powers. The chapter adopts the descriptive and analytic methods. In the sphere of data collection, the primary and secondary sources were employed. In the primary source, oral interview and the observation methods came in handy, while documented materials from books, newspapers/magazines, journal articles, and sources from the web were used. The chapter establishes that fraternities, witches, wizards, and sorcerers in African societies have some form of mystical power or spiritual forces that seem to defy even immediate scientific explanations. For instance, witches and wizards are people with an inherent power by means of which they can do anything especially negative things in the world. Also, secret societies or fraternities such as the Poro in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Guinea, and the Okonko and Ogboni societies in Igbo and Yoruba lands of Nigeria operate as authentic components of African religion. On the one hand, sorcerers use bad medicines on people and objects with intent to harm same. The witches, wizards, sorcerers, and fraternities work in darkness because their deeds are evil. Because of the above scenario, these categories of people are most hated and feared in African societies. Their works have produced death, illnesses, ill-luck, bewitchment, calamity, and loss on Africans. As a result of this, most African societies have specialized medicine men/women who fight the menace of these spiritual forces. The chapter thus calls for a de-emphasis on the acquisition, application, and use of these spiritual forces to enhance the overall development of African societies.