A Followup

If you missed the last post, skim it quickly, the last two paragraphs in particular.

Mwata Imelda's death is, as interpreted by many, further and probably final affirmation that a certain family is full of witches. After Veikko (the English teacher) gave me a more complete account, I rushed to write it down. Here it is:

There was a quarrel between Mwata and that Siteketa (he points to Siteketa Amalia, grade 8A) a few days before the incident. It's her mother - Amalia's mother - who is known to be a witch. The quarrel was never resolved, leading Mwata's death to be cited by the community as a clear instance of witchcraft, of a hexing. Now the elders are deciding how to proceed; it is known locally that this family has caused other deaths, too.

If the most probable decision is reached by the elders - probable given the prior accusations made against her - Amalia's mother will go before a traditional tribunal to determine if she is indeed a witch. (I asked what method is used to determine this). A potion is made up and given to everyone who is accused; the accusers must also drink the potion. There are two possible outcomes of drinking this concoction. Either you are made violently ill and to vomit or you die. The former is evidence of your innocence, the latter of your guilt.

The problem is many older people die from the potion because it tends to induce a heart attack in people with weak hearts. Nevertheless, the tribunal would view these deaths as substantiation proving rather than disproving that they're witches.

Now, needing to distance myself for sanity sake, I keep quiet and let this movie reel continue rolling. Besides I’m about as integral to this plot as I would be if I was watching an actual movie. So I just sit back, try to ask questions and hope this act, tantamount to lynching, is forestalled.