Witch Camps and Witchcraft Discourse in Africa: Critiquing Development Practices

Witch Camps and Witchcraft Discourse in Africa: Critiquing Development Practice explores how local development interventions related to witchcraft in Africa intersect and conflict with globally accepted development practices. It argues that development practitioners need to pay attention to local concepts of "witchcraft" and "occult," and provides a nuanced account of how different development actors conceptualize and approach development in Africa through communities of refuge. The book contributes to the decolonization of development epistemes, knowledge, and practices and challenges the neo-liberal paradigm of socio-economic development.

Format: Hardback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 15 October 2023
Publisher: Lexington Books

Witch Camps and Witchcraft Discourse in Africa: Critiquing Development Practice delves into the intricate interplay between local development interventions and globally accepted development practices concerning witchcraft in Africa. This insightful book argues that development practitioners must genuinely understand the cultural significance of concepts like "witchcraft" and "occult" to the local communities they serve. By providing a nuanced account of how various development actors conceptualize and approach development in Africa through communities of refuge, the book offers valuable insights into the complexities of this issue. Matthew Mabefam encourages development practitioners to embrace culturally sensitive solutions to social inequalities, rather than dismissing them and perpetuating the challenges faced by individuals accused of witchcraft.

The foundation of this book is rooted in extensive ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Gnani, a rural community in Northern Ghana, which serves as a refuge for individuals who have been exiled from their communities. The authors, drawing from their personal experiences growing up and working within refuge communities in Ghana, bring a unique perspective to the study. This book not only contributes to the decolonization of development epistemes, knowledge, and practices but also offers a critical examination of the limitations of the neo-liberal paradigm of socio-economic development that has dominated development policy for decades. By highlighting the experiences of individuals accused of witchcraft and the broader societal implications of witchcraft beliefs, Witch Camps and Witchcraft Discourse in Africa: Critiquing Development Practice sheds light on the urgent need for a more inclusive and equitable approach to development in Africa.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781666918496