Sorcery, superstition and rituals in Cameroon modern politics since 1990

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Periodical article

Title:	Sorcery, superstition and rituals in Cameroon modern politics since 1990
Authors:	Tanto, Talla Richard Sango, Ndeh Martin
Year:	2006
Periodical:	Orita: Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies
Volume:	38
Issue:	1-2
Pages:	27-47
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Cameroon
Subjects:	power witchcraft multiparty systems
Abstract:	The rebirth of multipartism in Cameroon in the early 1990s came with no effective democratic political institutions to accommodate it. This led to resentment among the population. This paper examines the reinstitution of multipartism in Cameroon in the 1990s and shows how opposing forces applied evil and invisible spirits to gain political power. This dependence on supernatural forces is evident in a number of ways: in order to win popular support politicians go to their home towns ('home-coming') where they cement ties with their kinsmen, receive ancestral blessings as well as seek traditional protection not only against being removed from government but also against kinsmen who might try to kill them; local leaders, sometimes seeing opposition leaders as a challenge to their divine leadership, falsely accuse political rivals of witchcraft and banish them; most politicians, apart from the official, assigned bodyguards, also use men with mystical prowess as part of their security team; the public have recourse to ritual powers in order to get what they need from the government. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [ASC Leiden abstract]