World of witchcraft [electronic resource] / directed by Daniel Bogado for Insight News TV.

New York, NY : Filmakers Library, 2009.

English

This edition in English.

1 online resource (51 min.).

Belief in the power of witchcraft is pervasive and profoundly entrenched in many parts of Africa. In the Central African Republic, one of the poorest countries in the world, these matters are taken an extraordinary step further. Thousands of men, women and children are arrested and tried for committing the crime of witchcraft every year. Witchcraft is an enshrined element of their legal system --- formally treated as a crime. The award-winning African journalist Sorious Samura investigates a nation that appears gripped by fear, where persecution for witchcraft is reminiscent of Medieval Europe.Astonishingly, the state plays a key role by arresting and trying the supposed witches. In one neighborhood where witch-hysteria has been hitting fever pitch, Jeanne, an old woman, is accused of witchcraft because her nephew said she used witchcraft over his wife. She is sentenced to three years in prison without a trial. People are tortured to get them to confess, and then may be killed by mobs. Hundreds accused as witches are executed each year.The film goes inside a courtroom where a witch trial is taking place and also visits a prison where men, women and children are confined in insufferable space. An attorney argues that no modern country should include witchcraft as a crime, or mob justice will run rampant. Yet prisoners are often sentenced for five to ten years imprisonment as witches, or even receive the death penalty.

Originally released as DVD.
Title from resource description page (viewed May 24, 2011).

For College; Adult audiences.

Online Resources > Streaming Video
All Resources