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Baccalaureate Oral Exam 2009: Series A4-A5    

Nutrition Education Opposes Witchcraft

Superstition is common in Tanzania. It affects every aspect of life. Many people believe that witchcraft causes illness and malnutrition. A father in the region of central Tanzania had a malnourished daughter and blamed it on witchcraft. He believed that an enemy had put a curse on the little girl, causing her to be unhealthy, weak and thin.
When the slaughter of animals and visits to a witch-doctor did not improve his daughter's condition, he agreed to try some of the activities suggested by the village health-worker. He had his wife prepare a porridge using corn-meal diluted by germinated millet flour. The use of this so-called `power flour' makes the gruel thinner and easier to digest while increasing the calories and the amount of food his daughter could consume. Within a few weeks the young girl was transformed. No longer was she quiet and sullen. Instead she was active and her eyes were sparkling with a happy disposition. The father could not believe what he saw. Better yet, it had not cost him any more money, and all the food items used were readily available in the village.
It became obvious to the father that witchcraft was not the issue, but rather it was a question of better quality-food and more frequent feeding. He now carries around a plastic bag in his pants pocket. When he sees food in the market that is good for his daughter, be it papaya, oranges, green leafy vegetables or cowpeas, he buys it and puts it in the plastic bag. This once superstitious father has become the village advocate for proper nutrition.

"We Will Never Go Back" by UNICEF p. 20.

Vocabulary:

Cowpeas: niébé