ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how investigative journalists provide cultural expertise by examining criminal trials that involved allegations of witchcraft and sorcery in the Central African Republic, Cameroon and Tanzania. It draws on primary and secondary sources – i.e. videos, TV reports, documentaries, newspapers, photographs, posters and so on – to explore the potential of high-quality journalism in cases involving accusations of, and actions informed by beliefs about, witchcraft and sorcery. In the CAR and in Cameroon, witchcraft accusations go forward because there are specific legal provisions which recognise that witchcraft is a criminal offence. Testimony about attitudes, speech, rumour, empirical evidence from family members, neighbours and so on is admitted in witchcraft trials. Judges may rely on some types of evidence including “forced” confessions. In Tanzania, killing people with albinism – which is believed by some to be a form of witchcraft – is a criminal offence no different from murder or assault.
