www.allafrica.com
June 14, 2003
UGANDA - That a national soccer team would hinge it chances of qualification for the Nations Cup to black magic, is a classic example of how witchcraft is embedded in the minds of locals, and that anything beyond normal understanding is attributed to witchcraft.
In Uganda, this phenomenon is traced in schools where over-zealous young students practice witchcraft on opponents by urinating on goal posts.
Most Ugandan players believe football (soccer) is played with the help of juju. They don't lend their gear to teammates for fear of being bewitched. Fans, desperate for victory, are the biggest culprits for stoking witchcraft fires.
Leading Ugandan clubs like Express Villa and KCC have a Jajja (witchdoctor) committee whose duty is to ensure that their team wins with the help of supernatural powers.
