Where does ‘witchcraft’ come into the crime?: Rationality for judicial decisions in former British African states

There is bias surrounding different cultural beliefs. For example, African philosophies and superstitions are viewed as bizarre by some. However, it is important to demonstrate respect towards different ways of thinking and Professor Kiyoshi Umeya, a professor of Social Anthropology at Kobe University, is conducting fieldwork to expand views on different beliefs, including ideas on witchcraft. An element of Umeya’s work is Japanese culture post-natural disaster, including the refusal to relocate in the wake of a disaster due to strong religious beliefs and ancestral rituals. The prejudice that anthropological work is useless is changing and Umeya and his team are now managing a project to assist local governments to enhance their operations. The researchers want to create opportunities for postgraduate students to engage directly with society and contribute to the operation and improvement of the system and are seeking to increase students’ contact with African culture and society through practical training. This includes taking students to a village in Uganda to compare it with modern and urban life and to have them trace the fieldwork Umeya has done. In parts of Africa, witchcraft-related crime has become a social problem and Umeya believes it is important to lean in and understand it in its context in order to be able to take steps to curb aggressive and violent beliefs. He is working to develop a model for reducing witchcraft related crime, which involves first understanding the legal systems that recognise witchcraft as a crime and those that do not.