Here you will find a general overview of the Watchi World view.

Watchi Worldview

  • The Watchi are highly animistic in their beliefs. They call the Creator God Mawu. Mawu is aided by a pantheon of lesser spiritual beings. Mawu is thought to live far away from earth.
  • When sickness, death, or drought, etc. occur the Watchi consult the Fa, the witch doctor or bokono (This word is used to designate both the god in question, the method of divination and the personal "horoscope" of the individual). The Fa dialogues with the physical world and the spiritual world. This spiritual realm contains the spiritual beings mentioned above as well as departed ancestors. The Watchi live in continuous fear of offending these spiritual beings along with a generalized fear of witches, spells, potions, and fetishes.
  • The Watchi hold a typical animistic worldview. The Creator God is far away and not involved in human affairs. Ancestors and other personal and impersonal forces are feared. Furthermore, Watchi go to witch doctors to determine the cause of tragedy.
  • This description of the Watchi worldview is extremely brief. Their culture and religious beliefs are very complex, especially for westerners like us, who have virtually no concept of African Traditional Religion.

Fears

  • Fearing thieves and spirit intruders, most people close all doors and windows during the night making for a very warm and sweaty night.

Idol Worship

  • Rather than worshipping the creator God, the majority of Watchi worship sub-gods or idols. Believing that they, the spirits, have more to do with everyday life and death than Creator God, they naturally look to these "closer" gods for protection, healing and blessings.
  • Idols around homes and in the public places are considered to be guardians who "screen" incoming spirits and only allow those with permission to inter.

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Security and Safety are Based in a Spiritual Reality

  • The Watchi's concern for spiritual security and safety from evil are primary. Their ideas of God do not include viewing him as a particularly loving God or one who expects his creatures to love him. The relationship between father and child is more often one of distance and severity based in obedience rather than closeness and forgiveness based in love. The emphasis is upon proper behavior rather than upon right thoughts and motives.

Concern for the Near Future

  • This can be seen in the difficulty the Watchi have in amassing wealth. After the harvests, they immediately spend the income on home repair and investments. Rarely do they use banks or credit unions.
  • In spiritual terms, the Watchi have an unclear understanding of the afterlife and the world the dead since that is so far into the future. Their immediate concern is to placate the spirits here and now, preserving the balance of nature through offerings and ceremonies, and the healing of diseases that they believe are caused by spirits or through sorcery.

The Universe is Unsystematic

  • The Watchi can accept without question opposing or contradictory information and beliefs. Thus in times of trouble some may revert to pagan beliefs and actions after professing Christian beliefs with no quandary.

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Power is the Key to Protection

  • The Watchi are more immediately concerned about power over evil spirits and protection from sorcery than pardon from sin or right relationship with God. Their ideas of morality are centered around outward prohibitions and have very little to do with inward attitudes.
  • In general, the Watchi fear magic which is a body of techniques used to control the universe. This body of belief and methodology is based on the assumption that if certain procedures are followed minutely, certain results are inevitable. They also fear specifically imitative (homeopathic) magic which refers to the belief that one can be harmed by destroying something that belonged to the victim such as nail clippings, hair clippings or clothing.

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