The University of Nigeria, Nsukka
(UNN) says the interdisciplinary conference on witchcraft being organised in
the university is not a gathering of witches.
In a statement on Monday, the
university said Christians will benefit from the programme, and that the
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria
(PFN) are all invited to partake in it.
Both CAN and PFN called for a
cancellation of the conference which they said has to do with witches.
But Egodi Uchendu, director of
B.I.C. Ijomah Centre for Policy Studies at the university, organisers of the
conference, said in the statement that witchcraft is only “the topic of the
academic engagement”.
He said the programme would
feature academics reviewing journals and information gathered over the years on
witchcraft and should not cause alarm.
“Church pastors discuss
witchcraft regularly and preach against it all the time, drawing from their
experiences during their training and in their ministries,” he said.
“I am sure the information from
this conference and the research findings would assist them in their work for
the gospel.
“Surprisingly, some persons,
erroneously concluded that only witches can discuss witchcraft. We are not
witches. We are professors and scholars who are intrigued by this phenomenon of
witchcraft.”
Uchendu said some of the
organisers are Christians, and that the conference is “all about the
advancement of knowledge”. “The body of Christ generally, including CAN, will
also benefit from our findings,” he said, adding: “I invite CAN, PFN and the
entire public to attend this conference so that we can all share knowledge on
this topic that is already generating some controversy.”
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