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

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p style=”line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;”>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.