Magic and Medicine in African Tradition

Definition

Magic is a ritual activity which influences human or natural events through access to an external mystical force. Thus, magic influence people and events. It involved the manipulation of certain objects to cause a supernatural being to produce or prevent a particular result unobtainable ordinarily. Man bends the forces of nature of his will through his means. Also, man, being a limited being, taps the elemental forces of the universe, to solve the problems confronting him through the use of magical powers.

Forms of Magic

There are two kinds of magic called homeopathic and contagious.

1) Homeopathic magic

In this type of magic, a magician produces an effect by imitating it with the aid of supernatural powers. It can be used both positively and negatively. It makes use of objects similar to its target to represent the target.

For example, barren woman may be asked to carry a doll on her back in imitation of a nursing mother. And she gets pregnant eventually. A man with a broken leg may be asked to produce a fowl whose legs would be broken. The fowl would recover and the person whose leg is broken recovers too. In cases of severe drought, water is thrown into the air. The magician then summons rain through incantations. This could also be done by making a thick black smoke like cloud.

2) Contagious/Sympathetic Magic

It is believed that whatever one does to a material object will affect the one with whom the object was in contact with. It is widely believed in West Africa that finger nails, hair, spittle, urine, placenta among others can be used to harm a person. It can also be used for the good of the society. The teeth of snakes, lions and other wild animals prevent wild animals from attack those carrying such totems.

Medicine

This is any substance that can be used to treat or prevent illness or diseases. Medicine is both curative and preventive in the African society. It is the art of using available forces of nature of prevent diseases and to preserve and restore health. Medicine in Africa is closely associated with religion. Since God is the source and author of medicine, people believe that the medicine man or traditional doctor receives his call from the tutelary divinity and practices in reference to God.

Religion and Magic Compared

Similarities

Magic and religion are closely related. It may be difficult to separate them.

1) Magic and religion recognize the existence of power beyond them.

2) They have a common root. They arose as a result of man’s sense of need and are man’s attempt to deal with the mystery of his environment.

3) They are both symbolic. There are objects used to represent supernatural entities. A carved wood may represent a divinity while in magic it may represent the image of an enemy.

4) They have taboos that are to be observed.

5) They arose from the desire of man to dominate and have power over others.

Differences

1) Magic deals with non-human and more arbitrary order of reality while religion seeks to foster fellowship in human relationship and between man and god.

2) While magic is used to attain selfish ends most of the time, religion is concerned with the good of the community by giving sanctions to common laws and norms. Consequently, while religion gives inner sense of sanity, peace and self-being, magic cannot.

3) Magic tends to show man how to obtain certain good things by his own efforts. Through magic, power is tapped to satisfy man’s needs. Religion on the other hand stresses communion and communication with the divine with submission and appeal in focus through prayers and sacrifices. Religion implies trust, dependence and submission while magic implies and self-aggrandizement.

4) Religion calls for high moral standard from its adherent to ensure his relationship with the divine being. Magic on the other hand depends on knowing the right techniques whether you are morally right or not.

In summary, the two are not mutually exclusive. They have both existed alongside one another across the centuries.