Frame from the film 'Labyrinth'
Many residents of Zimbabwe, whose population is about eleven million people, consider themselves religious. According to statistics, more than 80 percent of the country's population are Christians. Of course, this does not stop them from also adhering to traditional African beliefs, whose characters are a variety of mythical creatures. All of them, according to local tradition keepers, appear as a result of magical rituals.
Among the terrifying creatures that haunt the unfortunate Zimbabweans, goblins stand out. At least, over the past few months they have become extremely active and begun to attack the local population.
Recently, the victims of goblin attacks were young children who, just a few days ago, bravely attended four primary schools in the province of Matabeleland South. Now these schools are closed—parents have refused to send their children where goblins bother them.
According to elder Malachi Masuku, the evil creatures attacked schoolchildren right during lessons. Most children panicked and could no longer study; some were so scared that they nearly lost consciousness. This went on for several months—from August to October—after which it was decided to suspend the schools' operations.
The administration of one of the schools, according to local press, has already contacted representatives of the Ministry of Education and informed them of the incident. Which officials intend to take action is unknown.
However, Masuku expressed hope that the Zimbabwean authorities will not fail to go directly to the National Association of Traditional Healers, consult with them, and decide on further action. For now, local educators and tradition keepers are trying to find a way out of the goblin situation on their own.
At the same time, they should remember that, in fact, even if they perform all the proper anti-goblin rituals, that does not guarantee them complete deliverance from the terrible vile creatures, let alone from fear of them. For instance, earlier in Zimbabwe, they already carried out a similar rite, but it was not particularly successful.
At the end of 2012, Zimbabwean specialists in combating evil spirits were called to a clinic whose nurses had begun to complain about goblins. After completing all necessary procedures (exactly how goblins are exorcised, what they look like, and why they frighten residents of Zimbabwe so much is not reported), the nurses were assured that everything was now fine and they could work in peace.
However, the clinic's employees refused to return to their duties. They claimed they did not believe in the effectiveness of the rituals and were still afraid of the terrible goblins. In short, out of fear of the evil spirits, the nurses scattered from the clinic, and it closed. Some later found jobs in other medical institutions, and what ultimately became of the hospital where the goblins operated is not entirely clear. There is no detailed information about the fate of the expelled monsters. Zimbabwean newspapers only wrote that the goblins were later seen near the clinic, on the grounds of a local enterprise.
Overall, judging by what local media write, goblins are indeed spotted here and there. Sometimes people cannot even get a good look at these creatures, but while passing by some building late in the evening, they feel 'something strange' and see terrifying silhouettes in the darkness.
Perhaps Zimbabwe's leadership should seriously take up the fight against goblins, learning from the experience of Eswatini. There, officials do not sit idly by while dark forces scare the entire local population. Quite tough measures were taken to protect the kingdom's residents.
Specifically, in the spring of 2013, amendments were made to the legislation regulating air traffic, prohibiting Eswatini witches from flying at an altitude of more than 150 meters above the ground. For violating this ban, witches face a fine of 500,000 South African rand ($55,000). This fine, notably, is much larger than the fine for witchcraft in parliamentary elections—candidates caught using magic must pay only ten thousand rand (that is, about $1,000).
As for how effective the measures taken in Eswatini are, it is still difficult to judge—news of African witchcraft reaches the press irregularly.
Lena AVERYANOVA.
Lenta.ru