African magic is the form, development, and performance of magic within the culture and society of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and the diaspora.

Meaning of the word magic

The word magic might simply be understood as denoting management of forces, which, as an activity, is not weighted morally and is accordingly a neutral activity from the start of a magical practice, but by the will of the magician, is thought to become and to have an outcome which represents either good or bad (evil). Ancient African culture was in the habit customarily of always discerning difference between magic, and a group of other things, which are not magic, these things were

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

divination Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...

witchcraft Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...

and sorcery.''Volume 306 of European studies on Christian origins''

In relation to witchcraft

E.K. Bongmba finds '' Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande'' by

Evans-Pritchard Sir Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard FBA FRAI (21 September 1902 – 11 September 1973) was an English anthropologist who was instrumental in the development of social anthropology. He was Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Ox ...

(published 1937 Publication details
etrieved 2015-12-26/ref>) responsible for a reduction in appreciation of the value of magic as a definite subject of study. Peter Pels (1998) posits failing in thought similarly stemming from a mis-aligned focus on the negative aspect of

representing the ''totum'' of magic.''Volume 4 of Modernity and belonging''

Comparison to religion

Opinion differs on how religion and magic are related to each other with respect to development, or which developed from which. Some think they developed together from a shared origin; some think religion developed from magic; and others think magic developed from religion.''African Studies''

Types

There are two types of magic, good, or magic which is used to do well and enhance

well-being Well-being is what is Intrinsic value (ethics), ultimately good for a person. Also called "welfare" and "quality of life", it is a measure of how well life is going for someone. It is a central goal of many individual and societal endeavors. ...

, and bad, which is magic used to do

harm Harm is a morality, moral and law, legal concept with multiple definitions. It generally functions as a synonym for evil or anything that is bad under certain moral systems. Something that causes harm is harmful, and something that does not is har ...

or wrong or

evil Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...

Roles

The traditional roles related to and of magic in African society is medicine-man, divinator, rain-maker, and priest-magician.

Medicine men

These are at the simplest understanding people who function within a tribal setting as herbalists.

Divinator

Rain-maker

Rain-makers are thought to possess magical powers, although they possess these powers because they (the powers) are given them by the sky God or the Great Spirit. Rain-making is something which requires both religion and magic.

Priest-magician

The priest-magician must grasp

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of everything in existence; everything that is not imagination, imaginary. Different Culture, cultures and Academic discipline, academic disciplines conceptualize it in various ways. Philosophical questions abo ...

in many ways; understand the nature of

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteoro ...

, the forms of

energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

of the

universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...

, the functions of material objects. The priest-magician controls forces of

nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

, and in doing this therefore has to understand how control of forces impacts upon perception and the human consciousness and

mind The mind is that which thinks, feels, perceives, imagines, remembers, and wills. It covers the totality of mental phenomena, including both conscious processes, through which an individual is aware of external and internal circumstances ...

s of people. He or she fulfills his or her role by exercising the

intellect Intellect is a faculty of the human mind that enables reasoning, abstraction, conceptualization, and judgment. It enables the discernment of truth and falsehood, as well as higher-order thinking beyond immediate perception. Intellect is dis ...

and discerning a way forward while under the possession or control of a spirit or force of a

divinity Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a single ...

, to which he or she is a

servant A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly ...

Anti-roles

Sorcerers

With particular reference to people dwelling within the Southern areas of Sudan, individuals who are found to have been stricken with illness or misfortune are sometimes identified as having succumbed to the influence of sorcerers.

References

{{Reflist Culture of Africa Magic (supernatural)