ABSTRACT:
With the prevalence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, most communities in Africa face large numbers of deaths weekly. In Cameroon, and in many parts of Africa South of the Sahara, the deaths of AIDS patients have often been attributed to witchcraft, which is the assumed possession by someone of "black magic" causing illness or death. The last two decades have witnessed an increase in the number of AIDS patients and their deaths therein. This has been marked by a corresponding increase in witch hunting with the resulting lynching or near lynching of parents, relatives and neighbours who are sometimes held responsible for these deaths.
In Cameroon, much has been done to educate the population on the modes of transmission, symptoms and management of HIV/AIDS with very little impact. This has prompted various individuals and groups to engage in different projects using different methodologies to educate the masses. This paper discusses the realisation through the popular theatre method of a play in Pidgin English entitled "Some Witchman Must Die" created and performed by a group of women in Cameroon. The main focus of the project was to dispel the myth that HIV/AIDS is 'witchcraft' and that the resulting deaths are consequences of witchcraft practices. This paper will therefore dwell on the conception of this project, its realisation and the enormous impact it has had on the beneficiary population. |
