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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 11:41 am
Time: 11:41 am
Results for cults
3 results foundAuthor: Von Kemedi, Dimiear Title: Fuelling the Violence: Non-State Armed Actors (Militia, Cults, and Gangs) in the Niger Delta Summary: This working paper on the formation, organization, activities, rivalries and impact of non-state armed actors- militia, gangs and cult groups in the Niger Delta is intended to situate these groups in the intricate and often confusing canvass of factors that determine the increasingly upward spiral of violence in the Niger Delta. It will attempt a crude geographical mapping of these groups, locate their collective and individual origins as much as possible and highlight the factors that feed the growth of these groups. Finally the paper makes recommendations on how the activities of these groups may be contained and who needs to do what to that effect. Details: Berkeley, CA: Institute of International Studies, university of California; Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace; Port Harcourt, Nigeria: Our Niger Delta, 2006. 24p. Source: Internet Resource; Niger Delta Economies of Violence Working Paper No. 10 Year: 2006 Country: Nigeria URL: Shelf Number: 119297 Keywords: CultsGangsMilitiaViolence |
Author: Petrus, Theodore Stephen Title: An Anthropological Study of Witchcraft-Related Crime in the Eastern Cape and Its Implications for Law Enforcement Policy and Practice Summary: This research sought to investigate the phenomenon of witchcraft-related crime in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, and its implications for law enforcement policy and practice. The primary motivation for a study such as this emerged from the need to address the lack of academic knowledge about witchcraft-related crime, especially in the Eastern Cape. The study is anthropological in focus, and is thus based on anthropological techniques of data gathering. Specifically, a literature study and fieldwork (semi-structured interviews and case studies) formed the basis of the research methodology employed. The geographical focus of the study was the northeastern part of the former Transkei, an area commonly referred to as Pondoland. Interview data were obtained from two categories of informants, namely community informants and informants of the South African Police Service (SAPS). Various towns and their surrounding villages were visited during fieldwork in order to gather data through interviews. Witchcraft continues to play an integral role in the cultural interpretation of misfortune, illness and untimely or mysterious death, particularly among local Xhosa-speaking communities that are predominantly rural. Beliefs associated with witchcraft were widespread in the study area and this was linked to high frequencies of witchcraft accusations and witchcraft-related violence. Police investigations of witchcraft-related cases were, for the most part, evaluated negatively by the majority of local community informants, while the SAPS informants indicated mixed responses as to the success of their investigations of these cases. The high frequency of unreported cases suggested that witchcraft-related crime is a problem in the Eastern Cape and that the local police were struggling to deal with these cases. The traditional leadership in various communities also struggled with the problem of an ambiguity in their role regarding witchcraft cases. Traditional leaders not only had jurisdictional limitations, but also indirectly seemed to encourage witchcraft-related violence by punishing those who accused others of witchcraft. In general, the relationship between communities, traditional leaders and the police were strained by witchcraft-related cases. In addition to providing much needed data on the topic under study, this research also aimed to provide meaningful recommendations and suggestions based on the data gathered during the study. This study is by no means conclusive as there is still much scope for further research, not only anthropological research but also, more importantly, interdisciplinary research. The issue of witchcraft-related crime is one that requires a holistic approach to address and involves a number of stakeholders who should make a contribution to further study of this topic. The essential point is that, as far as the Eastern Cape Province is concerned, witchcraft-related crime must be taken seriously enough to invest in further research so that violence reaching crisis levels could be avoided. Details: Port Elizabeth, South Africa: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2009. 277p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed November 26, 2011 at: http://www.nmmu.ac.za/documents/theses/THEODORE%20STEPHEN%20PETRUS.pdf Year: 2009 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.nmmu.ac.za/documents/theses/THEODORE%20STEPHEN%20PETRUS.pdf Shelf Number: 123457 Keywords: CultsReligiously Motivated ViolenceViolent CrimesWitchcraft (South Africa) |
Author: Abodunrin, Hammed Title: A Survey of Violence-Related Deaths in Urue-Offong/Oruko and Udung Uko Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State (2006-2014) Summary: This paper highlights violent deaths in two local government areas (LGAs) in Nigeria: Urue Offong/Okubo and Udung Uko, both in Awka-Ibom State. Primary data collected using key informant interviews (KIIs), 40 copies of a questionnaire, and focus group discussions (FGDs) were analysed. The respondents considered their LGAs to be generally peaceful and blamed violent incidents on continual deprivation, youth agitation, and skirmishes experienced as part of everyday life. During the period under study (2006-2014), the main causes of violent deaths in Urue Offong/Okubo and Udung Uko were cult attacks, witchcraft, and motor accidents because of bad roads and inadequate education on traffic laws. Although the predominant religion of the area is Christianity, traditional beliefs still have a strong hold over the populace; and accusations of witchcraft sometimes resulted in the killing of persons considered to be a source of misfortune. The reasons for the non-coverage of violence by the national media in the two LGAs include the following: accessibility problems, fear of attack, lethargic attitude to volunteering information, dearth of published official records, and inadequate personnel. Other factors are the irregular salaries of journalists, the presence of many local tabloids, the poor infrastructural facilities, and illiteracy. Also worthy of note is that security operatives in the areas under review were insufficient and uncooperative in releasing information. Details: Ibadan, Nigeria: FRA Institute of African Studies , University of Ibadan 2015. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: IFRA-Nigeria working papers series, no. 53; Accessed April 11, 2017 at: http://www.nigeriawatch.org/media/html/WP15Abodunrin-Dotun.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Nigeria URL: http://www.nigeriawatch.org/media/html/WP15Abodunrin-Dotun.pdf Shelf Number: 144790 Keywords: CultsHomicidesViolenceViolent CrimeWitchcraft |