ABSTRACT
In descriptions of African etiologies in the literature a distinction is usually made between illnesses which are caused by people and illnesses which come from God/natural illnesses. There is often also a third category of illnesses: those caused by the ancestors or by spirits. This chapter briefly considers how what the author have said relates to this distinction before going on to present some conversations in which the role of god and the ancestors in illness causation. All the illnesses in which witchcraft is implicated appear to fall in the category of illnesses caused by people. The modern world not only provides new explanations of illness which enable ‘young fellows’ to violate traditional norms or neglect their obligations in the village, it also provides them with an alternative health-care system which treats minor ailments effectively without asking any awkward questions.
