Kindoki is thought by its believers to be a kind of
witchcraft
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...
or
possession
Possession may refer to:
Law
* Dependent territory, an area of land over which another country exercises sovereignty, but which does not have the full right of participation in that country's governance
* Drug possession, a crime
* Ownership
* ...
by evil spirits.
In the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
and among
Congolese immigrants in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, this belief is responsible for acts of
child abandonment and
ritual abuse of adults and children who were thought to have fallen victim to ''kindoki''.
Children who are perceived to possessed by ''kindoki'' are subjected to exorcisms that include beatings, starvation, and submersion in water.
[ Ruickbie, Leo, 'Child Witches: From Imaginary Cannibalism to Ritual Abuse', Paranthropology, 3.3 (July 2012), pp. 13-21.]
Some so-called Christian preachers have acted as consultants, by pointing out supposedly possessed children and carrying out "
exorcism
Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...
s".
Kristy Bamu Witchcraft Murder: Kindoki, Jinn and Voodoo Explained
International Business Times, March 2, 2012
See also
*Witchcraft accusations against children in Africa Witchcraft accusations against children in Africa have received increasing international attention in the first decade of the 21st century.
The phenomenon of witch-hunts in Sub-Saharan Africa is ancient, but the problem is reportedly "on the rise" ...
References
{{DRCongo-stub
Society of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
African witchcraft