A sustainable educational response to the recent increased witch killing and ritual murder ‘Liretlo’ in Lesotho: Introducing Basotho Traditional Religion in Lesotho schools

Abstract

Witch killing and ritual murder have been increasing in Lesotho since 1999 even though there is absolute silence from different social sectors including academic community. This paper is an attempt to break such silence from the angle of religious education proposing that Basotho Traditional Religion should be introduced in Lesotho schools to teach Basotho youth about the real meaning of belief in witchcraft and vital force as the main source behind witch killing and ritual murder. The paper highlights that the susceptibility of Basotho youth to crimes of witch killings and ritual murder is due to cultural alienation in which they have been estranged from their own religious beliefs by neglect of traditional beliefs in formal education system. They are ignorant of their traditional beliefs which they could also not be totally divorced from owing to the fact that religion is so inherent in African culture to the extent that it accompanies an individual before birth up until after death. Practicing a religion that they are ignorant of has put them in a situation in which they may either misrepresent it or misuse it for criminal acts. Even though there are many factors suggested including economic factors, rationality behind unusual occurrences, and strengthening of vital force to be the motives for witch killing and ritual murder, this review argues that those are opportunistic factors while at the heart is ‘belief’ – religion that has to be addressed through reorientation of the same religious beliefs within moral education and culturally appropriate education.

Keywords: Religious education, witch killing, ritual murder, Basotho Traditional Religion, moral education, multicultural education, culturally appropriate education.