Elusive witchcraft. Legislation, juridiction and practice in Cameroon (1916-1959)
Beuvier, Franck
Elusive witchcraft. Legislation, juridiction and practice in Cameroon (1916-1959) - 2018.
48
Relying on previously unpublished archives, this article examines the management of witchcraft in Cameroon during the period of the French mandate. Through a description, first of how the administration characterized witchcraft, the legislation established, the judicial powers granted to local representatives, and the mediation procedures observed in the Bamileke area, this analysis then highlights the ambiguities of the administration in this area, and the role played by the “Assessing Judges” who pursued accusations of witchcraft outside the established justice system. Further, it reveals the use of an administrative-customary instance to deal with these cases: Conciliation. This authority allowed for the customary settlement of the submitted cases, without leaving any written traces or documentation. Assessing judges, chiefs and notables, thus rendered almost invisible both the pressures exerted by sorcery and its attendant lot of accusations. This article postulates the establishment of a self-administered sorcery “system” in the colony, due to the uncertainties characterizing the legal framework and the inadequacy of judicial procedures.
Elusive witchcraft. Legislation, juridiction and practice in Cameroon (1916-1959) - 2018.
48
Relying on previously unpublished archives, this article examines the management of witchcraft in Cameroon during the period of the French mandate. Through a description, first of how the administration characterized witchcraft, the legislation established, the judicial powers granted to local representatives, and the mediation procedures observed in the Bamileke area, this analysis then highlights the ambiguities of the administration in this area, and the role played by the “Assessing Judges” who pursued accusations of witchcraft outside the established justice system. Further, it reveals the use of an administrative-customary instance to deal with these cases: Conciliation. This authority allowed for the customary settlement of the submitted cases, without leaving any written traces or documentation. Assessing judges, chiefs and notables, thus rendered almost invisible both the pressures exerted by sorcery and its attendant lot of accusations. This article postulates the establishment of a self-administered sorcery “system” in the colony, due to the uncertainties characterizing the legal framework and the inadequacy of judicial procedures.
Réseaux sociaux