From South to North, Africa is the continent of ancient magic

The word "magic" makes us think of sleight of hand, tricks and illusions, but historically, magic in Africa has been a way of achieving goals by harnessing the creative power of nature, which was seen and revered as a supernatural entity.

In Africa, the concept of magic is ancient, with a history of 70,000 years.

"I Can See" is open to African magic.

(Fotolia), the reigning paradigm has entangled the modern mind in the notion of equating magical solutions with scientific facts, but the old ways are far from the truth if they are seen as a misinterpretation of nature by primitive thinkers.

The animistic approach does not describe the principles of organization and activity of the material universe as quarks and electrons, but simply refers to elements such as "supernatural forces" and "energy".

A positive understanding of ancient magical systems is not an automatic declaration of faith in supernatural agencies, but rather a search for a deeper understanding of how our ancestors viewed the world and their place in it.

Today, the word magic is widely used around the world, but in Africa it is customary to recognize the difference between magic and disciplines such as medicine, divination, witchcraft and sorcery, not all of which are placed in magic.

It is difficult to define the word "magic" because it is understood differently in each region, but in 1937 the esoteric scholar E.K. Bongmba said: "Azande sorcery, oracles, and enchantments have helped to reduce the perception of the value of magic as a definite object of study. object of study .

", Sangoma and Inyanga, Baba Sylveste r prepare and dry freshly collected puppets for use in traditional medicine.

Medical work is not considered magic.

The book Methodology and African Prehistory (1990) provides insight into the psychological aspects of magic: "The term magic can be understood simply as the management of power, which as an activity has no moral weight, and is therefore a neutral activity from the beginning of the practice of magic, but rather according to the will These scholarly approaches are very important for how observers divide and summarize magic from the outside. externally divided and summarized are valuable objective insights .

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, Ashley Cowie is a Scottish historian, author and documentary filmmaker who presents insights into historical issues in an accessible and exciting way.

His books, articles and TV programs explore lost cultures and kingdoms, ancient artifacts, symbols and architecture, myths and legends, and tell thought-provoking stories that ***also*** provide insights into our ***also*** social history.

ashleycowie, above: the Ouda market in Benin, which sells raw materials for African magic.

(Fotolia) by Ashley Cowie Ashley grew up in Wick, a small fishing village in the county of Caithness on the north-east coast of Scotland, where he went on to study filmmaking in Glasgow.

In his early 20s, he began working in . Read more.