Witchcraft allegations remain a perennial problem in Nigeria and other African countries. Such accusations may result in ostracism, physical abuse, or even death. The Nigerian nonprofit organization Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW) records cases of witchcraft allegations and abuses, assists victims, and raises awareness of the harms of the allegations. Few other organizations or individuals are addressing this problem, which makes Claire P. Ayelotan’s book a welcome addition to the literature. This book shines a light on the problem as it exists in Nigeria and the Nigerian diaspora in the United Kingdom. As the title implies, it focuses on witchcraft accusations against children specifically, which the author calls child witchcraft accusation (CWA). She draws powerful attention to the problem and resulting abuses while also explaining the cultural contexts of these beliefs, their origin, and continued social salience.
As Ayelotan observes, research on this topic is sparse, so her work fills an important gap in the literature (2). She engages existing work on the subject effectively and adds to it considerably by expanding the analysis to Nigeria. The book focuses on this phenomenon as it exists in Yoruba Pentecostalist communities because they are a primary driver of the phenomenon. She not only raises awareness of this problem but condemns it and concludes with recommendations for amelioration. Though she points to the Pentecostal community as involved in CWA, she is also careful not to overgeneralize and does not claim that all Pentecostal communities engage in this practice (3).
The book has seven chapters. The first two focus on defining and understanding the problem. Chapters Three and Four examine witchcraft beliefs in traditional Yoruba religion and its subsequent admixture with Pentecostalism and Islam and the integration of old with new beliefs. Chapter Five offers a deep dive into the theology of Pastor Daniel Kolawole Olukoya, the founder and director of the Nigerian megachurch, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), and author of numerous books on the issue of witchcraft. Chapter Six takes a broader look at beliefs and practices regarding witchcraft and deliverance (the religious process of expelling witches from their victims) among a larger number of Pentecostal religious leaders in Nigeria and London. Finally, Chapter Seven provides a conclusion and recommendations.
The methodology is qualitative. It includes ethnographic techniques such as participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and informal discussions. It also relies on textual analysis of the publications of Pastor Olukoya (27). This dual approach effectively allows for both an in-depth picture of the worldview of a particular influential religious leader along with a broader understanding of a larger number of leaders, as well as adherents and lay people. The generalizability of the data, especially when it comes to the global diaspora, is limited by the relatively small number of interviewees and the fact that all interviews were conducted in Lagos and London.
This book convincingly describes how Pentecostalism and traditional Yoruba religion intertwine and how that has molded contemporary beliefs on witchcraft. Though many Pentecostalists claim that traditional religions are anti-Christian or even demonic, they have nonetheless subtly merged many traditional beliefs into their doctrine. The social and cultural costs of abandoning traditional beliefs are too high for most Nigerians (156). For this reason, many Nigerian adherents to Pentecostalism reinterpret their old beliefs to be consonant with their new belief system rather than jettison them altogether (168–69). Traditional beliefs about witchcraft are melded into Christian beliefs, thereby creating a new understanding influenced by both traditions.
In contemporary African Christianity a witch can be defined “as an individual who clandestinely performs malevolent actions under the directives of the Devil” (14). Nigerians who maintain traditional beliefs but also embrace Pentecostalism often do so because they see it as “offering an avenue for escaping or shielding against the invisible perils of witchcraft and other occult influences” (22). Pentecostalism promises new protection against witchcraft and a way to expunge it through “spiritual cleansing,” also called “deliverance” (176). Deliverance can lead to child abuse as it often includes fasting and verbal and physical abuse. Ayelotan explains that “churches beating and torturing children to remove the supposed evil from them are abusing these children because these spirits cannot be seen, touched, or felt” (255).
A belief in witchcraft was nearly unanimous among the forty-eight Pentecostal pastors Ayelotan interviewed, both in Nigeria and abroad. Only two respondents denied such belief, both of whom resided in London (221–22). Forty-one respondents said that children can be witches and, even more disturbingly, thirteen said that children’s disabilities are related to witchcraft, thereby subjecting disabled children to the potential of CWA (223 and 258). Sadly, most accusations against children came from the children’s parents. Contrary to previous research which indicated that stepparents are more likely to make such accusations, Ayelotan found that only one respondent indicated stepparents as the dominant accusers while the rest of the respondents pointed to the natural parents (239). Perceived misbehavior or changes in behavior often triggered these accusations.
The book concludes with a variety of recommendations. It offers five recommendations for future research and ten for revised practice and policy. Ayelotan recommends ministerial education and local informational campaigns to counter beliefs in witches and witchcraft. Ultimately, however, Ayelotan contends that criminal penalties for abusers are necessary to protect children at risk: “The criminalization of those perpetrating witchcraft accusations leveled against children to the extent of causing grievous harm will help deter future accusations against children of witchcraft” (287).
This book provides valuable insight into an often-overlooked source of religious abuse against children. It offers both a scholarly and practical exploration of the topic and will benefit anyone with interest in the confluence of Christianity and traditional African religion in general, religion-based child abuse, and witchcraft accusations specifically.
