I Am Not a Witch

I attended the showing of “I Am Not a Witch” at the Gateway Film Center on October 24. This fulfills my Non-IA requirement.

Mental illnesses come about, people are hurt, crops are spoiled, and alcoholism is prevalent. What is the cause of all this misfortune? In some parts of Africa, one would say black magic. Every small misfortune, from a bad crop to a mental illness, is a result of witchcraft. The witches are commonly elderly women who are unprotected by a husband, with the accusations stemming from fear, jealousy, or hatred rather than from magic. There exist witch camps in countries, such as in Ghana and Zambia, where witches are sent to live together and work. In some of these camps, the witches are free to travel, but instead stay in fear of the reactions of society; the natives are afraid of the witches and will hurt them.

Rungano Nyoni was born in Zambia and wrote a script based on her experiences in the country during a summer of little rainfall. The movie “I Am Not a Witch” takes place in Zambia and tells the story of a young girl, Shula, who was labeled a witch and sent to a witch camp. At this specific camp, the witches must wear a ribbon, measured to a certain radius which they can travel. These ribbons act as leashes, and are pulled when their service is wanted. Even after they have gained freedom from marriage, the witches are rejected in society and can be sent back if they do not please their husband. Shula was given a choice once she was declared a witch: to stay a witch and join the others, or to cut her ribbon and become a goat. Choosing to join the witches, Shula was the youngest and the elders brought her in as their own. They coerced Mr. Banda, the corrupt official, to keep Shula off the fields, and encouraged Shula to listen to the school lessons while they worked. Mr. Banda used Shula publicly for personal gain, and brought her to trials to determine which convict was guilty. After learning more from the school and witnessing how the witches are treated, Shula decides she doesn’t want to be labeled a witch. She was found dead the next morning, with little context as to how it happened. After the witches paid their respects in song to Shula, the movie ends with an image of the truck full of cut ribbons.

Feminism is symbolized throughout the film via the ribbons and the male characterization. All of the witches are women, being pulled around by their ribbon and forced to work for men. There is a scene in which Shula is literally dragged by her ribbon away from school, where she wanted to be, and back to the truck. It is understood that the witches realize their role in the society as they chant “We’re soldiers for the government and we’re used to it.” The women seem to have accepted their fate, and would rather live as slaves than to become a goat and killed. The only way for a witch to lose her ribbon is through marriage, and submission to a man. Mr. Banda’s wife is portrayed almost as a slave, washing her husband in the tub as he orders her around. Mr. Banda even threatens to throw his wife back to the witch camp when she disappointed him. The final scene of the movie of the cut ropes implies that the women finally freed themselves from the bounds holding them back. Whether they lived, transformed into goats, or died is left for interpretation by Nyoni.

This film opened me eyes to how little I know is going on in the world. I had no idea these witch camps had ever existed, and it is disturbing to me that they still exist today. The camps in Zambia and other countries are just some of multitudinous problems people are unaware of around the world. It is impossible to even attempt to solve a problem if one does not know it exists. This oblivion stresses the importance of international relations and communication among all nations, and the purpose of the United Nations and the Human Rights Council.