When Fear Turns Deadly: What a Witchcraft Killing in Sangbana Says About Us
A few years ago, I remember sitting on a rickety bench in my grandmother’s compound, listening to old folks swap stories about witches stealing people’s souls at night. I must’ve been ten. Back then, it sounded like something out of a horror movie — exciting and scary all at once. But fast-forward to now, and I can’t help but wonder: how did those bedtime stories turn into a real-life horror for a 70-year-old woman in Sangbana?
So here’s the heartbreaking gist — four people have been arrested for beating a 70-year-old woman to death because they thought she was a witch. Yeah, you read that right. 2025, and here we are, still hunting “witches†like it’s the 1600s in Salem. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I should even write about this — it’s heavy, uncomfortable, and kinda messy (like this whole world sometimes).
I mean, think about it. We scroll past Netflix thrillers about witches and vampires while sipping iced coffee, then log off and see real headlines like this. It’s wild. Makes you wonder what part of our minds clings to these old beliefs, like some dusty box we can’t bring ourselves to throw out.
In my opinion — and I may be wrong, who knows — it’s fear. Plain old fear, dressed up as superstition. People want someone to blame when crops fail, or a kid falls sick, or bad luck just won’t let up. And it’s always the vulnerable — the elderly, the poor, the oddballs — who get caught in the crossfire.
The thing is, it’s easy for me to rant about this while typing away on my phone, safe behind a screen. But for the people in Sangbana, it’s life and death. How do you break centuries of belief when the rumor mill spins faster than the truth? Who teaches the next generation to question, instead of accuse?
I’ve noticed we sometimes act like we’re so modern — hashtags, AI, smart gadgets — yet here we are, repeating ancient mistakes. And I know some folks will say, “Oh, it’s just in rural areas,†but superstition wears fancy clothes too. Look at all the conspiracy theories we trade on WhatsApp every day.
Sometimes, I worry that it’s easier to believe in monsters than face the real ones — poverty, ignorance, broken systems. It’s like blaming the shadows instead of switching on the light.
So here I am, sipping my third cup of coffee (too late, honestly) wondering: what would it take for us to bury this witch-hunting mindset once and for all?
Maybe it starts with asking ourselves the uncomfortable stuff: Who do we fear? Why? And what happens when we let that fear pick our victims?
Would love to hear your thoughts — do you think we’ll ever outgrow this, or are we doomed to keep finding witches to burn?