When you kill the body, do you kill the spirit? Curating affectual performances addressing violence related to sorcery accusations in Papua New Guinea

Graun Em Pulap Long Pipia: Rubbish, Sorcery, and Spiritual Healing, Papua New Guinea

“…They erupt in waves, 'crazes' (Moro, 2018), and allegations of sorcery and witchcraft are deeply entrenched in gender-based violence, especially in the Highlands (Jolly et al, 2012;Eves, 2021). There are several current studies about sorcery and spiritual practices in PNG and elsewhere, and they all look at the negative aspects of those practices (Forsyth & Eves, 2015;Rio et al, 2017;Kauli & Thomas, 2020). These studies confirm that anybody can be a victim of a sorcery accusation: men, women, children, rich or poor.…”

Kapori: researching local responses to sorcery accusation–related violence in Papua New Guinea through Indigenous storytelling

“…This research is informed by existing action research projects such as Yumi Sanap Strong (Let’s Stand Together), which highlighted that community-led initiatives are at the front line of responding to SARV providing contextualised solutions (Kauli & Thomas, 2020). Experiences from community-based organisations provide an understanding of the impact of SARV on communities to inform intervention programmes (Thomas et al, 2017).…”

“…This is further problematised by the way contemporary SARV manifests. While sorcery beliefs for many in PNG are a way of finding an explanation for difficult circumstances including illness and deaths, targeted accusations of individuals as sorcerers or witches often have other underlying issues, such as access to land and resources (Kauli & Thomas, 2020). The way accusations are perpetuated often relies on narratives and stories or what might be considered gossip.…”