Back in July, Nigeria got
some strange new allies in its war against Boko Haram: witches and
wizards. At the height of the pitch and fury of the summer news cycle,
an organised union of traditional healers, juju practitioners, and other varied
mystics and mediums calling itself the ASSOCIATION of
Nigerian Witches and Wizards (or WIZTAN) caught local headlines by boldly
predicting that, before the year’s end, Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau,
would be captured and paraded through the region. They offered their
self-avowedly substantial powers to help make that a reality. (However, in a
perhaps hedging note of pessimism, they predicted that not every kidnapped girl
would return.) When the Nigerian government
announced a ceasefire and the impending release of the
schoolgirls earlier this month, it seemed for a moment that WIZTAN might
have been onto something. But after yesterday’s news that 30 more children
were abducted in a town in Borno state, it seems
they’ve still got their WORK cut
out for them.
Back in July, Nigeria got
some strange new allies in its war against Boko Haram: witches and
wizards.
At the height of the
pitch and fury of the summer news cycle, an organised union of
traditional healers,
Witches and Wizards
(or WIZTAN) caught local headlines by boldly predicting that, before the year’s
end,
Boko Haram’s leader,
Abubakar Shekau, would be captured and paraded through the region. They offered
their
self-avowedly substantial powers to help make that a reality. (However, in a
perhaps hedging note of
pessimism, they
predicted that not every kidnapped girl would return.) When the Nigerian
it seemed for a
moment that WIZTAN might have been onto something. But after
yesterday’s news that30
more children were abducted in a town in Borno state, it seems they’ve still
got their WORK cut out for them.
See full story: Vice com
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