The head of the Malawian Association for Secular Humanism, George Thindwa, has issued a challenge for people to come forward and bewitch him, offering a cash prize to anyone who does so successfully.
While Thindwa's challenge, reminiscent of Indian rationalist Sanal Edamaruku's famous challenge for a guru to kill him live on TV, may sound like it is designed to expose those who claim to be able to practise witchcraft, it is in fact aimed at denting the legitimacy of fundamentalist Christians who persecute vulnerable people accused of being witches and wizards.
As Richard Wilson reported for New Humanist in 2011, Thindwa has campaigned for many years on the issue, exposing the persecution – often conducted through the Malawian legal system – of women and children accused of practising witchcraft and helping to secure the release of numerous innocent people.
Thindwa has been offering the cash prize for three years, and recently renewed his call in an interview with the Malawian press.
