Madumo, a Man Bewitched
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
Published: June 15, 2000
Language: eng
Number of pages: 264
ISBN-13: 9780226029719
First sentence: No one answered when I tapped at the back door of Madumo's home on Mphahlele Street a few days after my return to Soweto, so I pushed the buckling red door in a screeching grind of metal over concrete and entered calling, "Hallo?"
Description: "Set against the turbulent backdrop of contemporary Soweto, the sprawling black township southwest of Johannesburg, Madumo is a gripping tale of witchcraft and an unlikely friendship. Adam Ashforth, an Australian who has spent many years in the township finds his longtime friend Madumo in dire circumstances: his family has accused him of using witchcraft to kill his mother and has thrown him out on the street.

Convinced that his life is cursed, Madumo seeks help among Soweto's bewildering array of healers and prophets. An inyanga, or traditional healer, confirms that he has indeed been bewitched. With Ashforth by his side, skeptical yet supportive, Madumo embarks upon a physically grueling treatment regimen that he follows religiously - almost to the point of death - despite his suspicion that it may be better to "Westernize my mind and not think about witchcraft."".

"Ashforth's beautifully written, at times poignant account of Madumo's struggle shows that the problem of witchcraft is not simply superstition, but a complex response to spiritual insecurity in a troubling time of political and economic upheaval."--BOOK JACKET.