The Witchdoctor Who Speaks in Tongues: East African “Superstitions” in Mombasa’s Islam and Christianity
Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft March 1, 2026 Blair Alan Gadsby
Abstract:Mombasa’s indigenous healer, the mganga in Swahili, is also the witchdoctor, fortune teller, spiritual liberator and protector, healer of both body and mind, and they are varyingly integrated into mainstream religions. In Islam they operate with limited theological tension and African Muslims hold a high tolerance for them with many waganga (pl) identifying as Muslims. In Christianity,...