The Soul Eaters

THE SOUL EATERS examines the challenges facing women in Western Africa, who are held responsible for unexplained deaths in their communities, and are accused of engaging in witchcraft and sorcery. In Burkina Faso, a "soul eater" is typically a woman who is past child bearing age, someone w...

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Bibliographic Details
Institution:Open Society Archives at Central European University
Language:English
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10891/osa:c0910a7e-c7a5-4f82-90c0-2a68643c0cbd
Description
Summary:THE SOUL EATERS examines the challenges facing women in Western Africa, who are held responsible for unexplained deaths in their communities, and are accused of engaging in witchcraft and sorcery. In Burkina Faso, a "soul eater" is typically a woman who is past child bearing age, someone who may not have children, or someone who exhibits behavior that is somehow "socially unacceptable." Driven from their villages, often with no place to go, these women are marginalized from society, and many are unable to ever return to their homes.