African Conventions of Witchcraft and Divination: Justified Claims or Mere Chance and Manoeuvres

Remi Prospero Fonka

Abstract: African conventions of witchcraft and divination as indigenous epistemological apprehensions, sit at the crossroads of socio-moral epistemology, culture, psychology, logic, and traditional religion. Notwithstanding, most African worldviews handling of them is as a social institution (with justified claims) and isolated instances of manipulation possibilities. This paper argues that witchcraft and divination in African indigenous knowledge constitutes to an extent justified claims rather than swift dismissal of them as sheer manipulation or manoeuvre. From an African epistemological viewpoint, it reveals practices embodying internal logic, causal theories, and sustainable communal verification measures. Significantly, this phenomenon highlights anthropological curiosity and serious indigenous African philosophical inquiry legitimizing knowledge conceptualization vis-a-vis decolonization of knowledge acquisition claims. However, this research targets distinction of legitimate traditional knowledge acquisition from exploitative manipulation. Thus, addressing the problem: how justified are claims of witchcraft/divination apropos evidence or verification; establishing authentic from fraudulent practices? Importantly, the significance of this study highlights the need for epistemic decolonization (challenging western rapid tagging of African thought as pre-logical), considering divination functions as a scientific paradigm, examining the significance of ethical and social orders, and differentiating authentic from inauthentic witchcraft/divination claims and practices. This paper enhances a framework of foundations and conceptualization of witchcraft/divination, and challenges suggesting it as mere chance and manipulation. However, a few perspectives and prospects illustrate potentials of working on aspects of chances and manoeuvres, in order to be accommodated as reliable means of knowledge acquisition.

Keywords: African Conventions, Witchcraft, Divination, Justified Claims, Chance, Manoeuvres

How to Cite?: Remi Prospero Fonka, "African Conventions of Witchcraft and Divination: Justified Claims or Mere Chance and Manoeuvres", Volume 15 Issue 9, September 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1316-1323, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26920031510, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26920031510

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