Magic on the Field Turns Deadly

            This Sunday 13 people were killed at a soccer match in eastern Congo in a riot that broke out after one of the players was accused of using witchcraft. The majority of the victims were between the ages of 11-16. They were suffocated as the crowds hurried out of the stadium. I had often thought that witchcraft was something of the past. When I think of witchcraft I think of the Salem Witch Trials and Puritan prosecutions. It was interesting to me to find out that many people in Africa still believe in witchcraft. Many African people have suffered, whether it has been civil war, genocide, or starvation. Witchcraft is one thing that the people may turn to during these "Perilous Times". One of our country's earliest perilous time was the Salem Witchcraft Trials. 

The majority of Western society views witchcraft to be devil worship or something from the past. It is normally frowned upon or thought as strange. We fail to remember that in other countries they rely on witchcraft or magic to get them through difficult times. Many people think it to be "hocus pocus" due to stereotypes. At the end of the article there were comments that were rude about the spectator's belief in witchcraft, but i think it is important to respect other people's ways of coping with hard times. In Africa they have believed in witchcraft for thousands of years, long before other established religions were brought over by missionaries, which is probably why they still believe in it. Western society may find this is strange, but I think it is wrong to discredit their beliefs especially after such a tragic event. Here is the article if you are interested in reading it.