Man chained to tree for seven years

Press, 27 March 1981, Page 11

Man chained to tree for seven years

By

STEPHEN TAYLOR

“Observer,” London

Four months ago, a thin, dememted man was found naked and chained to a tree about 70 miles north-east of Salisbury.

He showed violence to anyone who approached, and local people told inquirers that he had been possessed by an evil spirit 10 years earlier and had been shackled to the tree since then to prevent him attacking others.-

The case of News Horufu attracted the attention of Mrs Jelly Chari, one of Zimbabwe’s 30,000 traditional “nganga” healers, also known as witch-doctors, and after being sedated with a herbal preparation Horufu Was brought to her clinic at Salisbury. Last week, a shambling but smiling Horufu left the clinic to return to his home village He said he was looking forward to rejoining his parents and helping'with the ploughing, and added: “There is no need to chain me any more.”

Three days earlier, Dr Herbert Ushewokuhze, the Minister of Health, announced that he would shortly be introducing a Bill in Parliament which, for the first time, would grant official recognition to the role of traditional healers.

* The Bill would provide for a governing council which would draw up rules and enforce professional discipline. Such a step would end 80 years of reaction by successive governments against traditional healers, which has varied from harassment to outright persecution. A powerful belief in the existence of evil spirits, and the ability of traditional healers to exorcise them, remains rooted in Zimbabwe society, particularly the ru* ral areas, in spite of persistent attempts by colonial administrations to eradicata these beliefs.

In the past four months, more than 40 people have passed through the country’s courts accused of killing people they believed to be possessed by spirits. While ailments of the spirit are their primary concern, traditional healers also treat illness, using herbal remedies and potions prepared from animal hide and

horn. Conventional medical treatment is free at clinics in the countryside but many villagers prefer to take their aches and pains to the local “nganga”. The common perception of the witch-doctor as a somewhat fearsome figure girded about with teeth, bones, and leopardskin, has little in common with reality — at least in Mrs Chari’s ease. She is a woman of serene appearance who wears Western dress, sensible shoes, and walks with a stick. Her only concession to tradition is a feather head-dress. To cure Horufu, she tried to find out the identity of the spirit which she bfelieved had taken over his body. Having done so to her satisfaction, she “negotiated” with the spirit for its departure. raw

Professor Gordon Chavunduka, a sociologist at the University of Zimbabwe who has researched traditional healing, says: “Many countries have rejected the idea Of traditional medicine. Here we are looking at it objectively and, although a lot of it may be nonsense, there are some elements that are extremely Valuable.” He points specifically to mental illness and cases such as that Of Horufti. “Belief in the validity of a remedy is as important in our culture as it is in any other. In the West you have yOur pills. “Whatever the reason, traditional healers are far more effective "in treating mental illness in our society than are psychiatrists.”—Copyright London Observer Service.