Faith in witchcraft persists in Tanzania Traditional beliefs,
fears cause conflict It conjures images of cauldrons and pointed
hats if you live in the western world or exotic masks and sacred
objects if you're on the African continent. Around the world a
sense of mystery and fear engulfs witchcraft and nowhere is this
more evident than in the East African nation of Tanzania. Here,
faith in this specific form of African tradition can turn
deadly. People with albinism have been dismembered in western
parts of the country because so-called witchdoctors perpetuate a
belief that albino body parts bring great wealth. Those
suspected of witchcraft are also targeted; an estimated 600
elderly women were killed in 2011 due to the suspicion they were
witches, according to the Legal and Human Rights Center in
Tanzania. In fact, the Pew Forum on Religious and Public life
conducted 25,000 face-to-face interviews in 19 African nations
and found that among them, Tanzanians hold the strongest belief
in witchcraft. It says 60%