Sorcery and malaria
In Togolese tradition, as in many African countries, death no natural explanation. The reason for death must always be looked for in the community, in relatinship between its members, in sorcery and in spells.
Therefore, when an accident occurs, when a person falls sick, people’s first reaction is to start looking for a cause : if this man is sick, if he dies, it is because he was having an affair with that woman ... If this young mother had a misscarriage, it is because her mother in law cast a spell on her ... if this man has this misfortune, it is because he had an argument with that other one who told him, “You will see me!”.
In Togo, such an expression is a threat that is taken seriously. This is why parents forbid their children using if when fighting with a friend, for if something bad happened the friend, people would hold the child responsible.
In some communities, the severe cases of malaria are thought to be caused by witches in the form of birds that come at night to take the little children away. So people go to seek advice from the sorcerer to know who, in the community, sent that witch.
Sometimes, often because of jealousy, people will go to the sorcerer to ask him to cast a spell on another person.
In this context, cases of malaria were always seen as having their cause in a bad relationship, particularly in the severe cases with its impressive symptoms.
Nowadays, more and more people recognise that malaria is a desease brought by mosquitoes. According to all of the people that we met, this change has been caused by the discussions generated by the Self Assessment and also by the performances of the drama groups.