Bongmba implies that witchcraft is not something that comes from within the human body, but something that comes from an external source; an evil spirit. Among the Mupun people, witchcraft is a mystical force, one of many that make up the cosmos.
One can conclude then that some Africans may see it as a physical object, a mystical force, or an evil spirit. There is no African consensus on what exactly witchcraft is.
Now one would ask how someone becomes a witch? Once again one finds that the answer depends on which African peoples one asks the question of. Among the Azande, witchcraft is passed down genetically. A witch is born a witch. A female witch passes witchcraft down to her daughters, and a male witch passes it to his sons.
This does not mean that just because one is born a witch, they will perform witchcraft. According to Evans-Pritchard, “Zande doctrine includes the notion that even if a man is the son of a witch and has witchcraft-substance in his body, he may not use it. It may remain inoperative.”
Among the peoples of Ghana, witchcraft can also be passed down genetically. Although there is no mention of a father giving witchcraft to the child; it is always the mother. Even if the mother is not a witch herself, she can contaminate her unborn child with witchcraft if she bathes in the river immediately after witches have bathed in it. But it is also said that witchcraft can be obtained through gifts or purchased from a wizard.
Among the Vagciruku, one also becomes a witch through genetics. Uniquely, the Vagciruku say one may become a witch as a "side-effect" of certain medications. In this case, it was never their intention to become a witch.
Among the Mupon, witchcraft can be obtained in seemingly the most ways. It can be inherited genetically, purchased, and can be unconsciously taken from one's spouse if one's spouse is a witch. In this way, it passes from one to another like a disease. One also can become a witch if one is overly greedy and selfish. Completely unique to the Mupon though is the idea that everyone has the potential to become a witch, if they want to.
The one factor that is observed in all of these cultures is that each has an understanding of witchcraft as a genetic phenomenon, something given from another family member. If one had to boil it down, one can make the generalizations that all Africans believe that witchcraft comes from within the family.
Now one has to ask what exactly witches do. How is witchcraft performed? And what do Africans mean when they speak of the harm done by witches. The harm done by witches is not a physical action. Most often Africans speak of witches leaving their bodies to perform their evil. Everything is done in the spiritual world, not the physical world. Evans-Pritchard writes that “while witchcraft itself is part of the human organism its action is psychic”.
The Azande describe a witchcraft-soul which leaves the physical body of the witch to do its harm. At night, it can be seen as a bright light. This explains how a witch can be in one place physically, while still doing harm to someone that is not near them. Not only does the witch travel in a spiritual or psychic way, all of its harm is done in the spiritual domain. The Azande believe that a witch will consume the soul of the victim's organs, not the physical organs. Since the spiritual world and the physical world are eternally linked, the damage done to the spiritual organs of the victim will eventually show itself in the physical organs.
Unlike the Azande, the Ghana witches travel as animals, not as lights. Albeit, in both cases the witch does not bring its physical body along for the ride. Akrong writes, “The witchcraft spirit is believed to leave the body while the witch is asleep: the operation of the witch is believed to be done in the spiritual real through the soul of the witch."
The Vagcirku have many different ideas about how witches carry out their evil deeds. In a way, the Vagcirku seem to be the most powerful of the African witches. They have been known to employ Goblins and bewitch others to do their bidding. They may turn into animals and eat the livestock of their victims. They can call upon lightning to strike their victims. Female witches in particular seem to have incredible power over their spouses. They are able to cause their husband to not gain an erection; they may control his every move, and even make him follow his wife around wherever he goes.
