Catholic University of Malawi says ‘vampirism’ saga needs multiple approach

Catholic University of Malawi (Cunima) has said blood sucking dilemma needs multiple approach to be resolved.

Director of Academic Affairs at the university Rev Fr Dr Dominic Kazingatchire observed this after a public lecture jointly conducted by Anthony Mtuta and Sangwani Tembo who are Catholic University assistant lecturers in Anthology at the university campus hall on Friday.

“As a university we cannot remain silent when the masses are suffering. The most important thing is that it has created a forum for discussion.”

“We need to dig deep from an Anthology point of view, theological, political, medical and law perspectives to pump sense into the public over this issue,” Fr Kazingatchire said.

Fr Kazingatchire said this in the wake of blood sucking dilemma which has instilled fear in the affected areas in the Southern Region districts of Thyolo, Phalombe, Mulanje, Chiradzulu and Nsanje.

During the public lecture assistant lecturer Tembo said over the years the blood sucking scare has been associated with economic hardships and inequality that local people experience since the first case broke out in 1948-1949.

“It’s not a new concept. It’s a problem of hardships that people experience. This year people have harvested but they are going through hardships because the prices of farm produce are very low,” he said.

“So people have find a way of expressing themselves to heard by drawing the attention of the public including top government and NGO officials,” he said.

While Mtuta said the situation has also led to antisocial behavior with other people taking advantage to destroy property and kill innocent people.

He also said traditionally people had not been comfortable with free cash and food aid given to vulnerable people in the rural who have become suspicious.

So far at least 10 people including two village chiefs have been killed for being suspected of being blood suckers or agents of blood sucking saga.

The government has enforced tight security in the affected areas in an attempt to restore peace and order.