The sect that killed at least 800 people in Uganda is just one example of a wave of cults that have emerged to prey on the world's poorest continent, said Jean Pierre Dozon, Director of the African Studies Centre at the Social Science Institute. For some time, North American and Brazilian pentecostal groups have been arriving in Africa. Sect leaders tell their victims that their sufferings come from the devil, knowing that in many African countries social services like health and education are practically non-existent, he said. People are lost.
Families break down.
The sects tell these vulnerable people that all the awful things they are suffering are produced by the devil, and then propose to exorcise the devil. Then they take what little money these people have. Dozon gave the example of the 'Universal Church', from Brazil, which buys up cinemas in the Ivory Coast and Nigeria to make prayer rooms. They disapprove of condoms and believe AIDS is a demon. The sects have not so far had much influence in Islamic parts of Africa, although some of them do try to convert Muslims, which can disrupt the peace in certain countries, Dozon said.