The Sunday Mail
Stranger than Fiction
Tendai Chara
IN this hard-to-believe story, which was dismissed by many as a hoax, a hysterical Mbare woman told her family and neighbours how dagga (marijuana/mbanje) rescued her from a ghost.
The woman, a self-proclaimed sex worker, claimed that she was approached by a smartly-dressed gentleman whilst she was imbibing in a local bar one evening.
The pair, according to the woman, agreed to spend the night together.
As they were about to go to their love nest, the woman claimed that she decided to retreat to a secluded spot of the bar with the intention of smoking dagga.
She claims that as soon as she lit the marijuana joint, the man she had decided to spend the night with suddenly disappeared into thin air.
While being intensely questioned by the people who could not believe her, the woman was adamant that the man she had agreed to spend the night with was a ghost. She also believed that were it not for the power of the illegal plant, something bad might have happened to her.
So was the Mbare story a hoax?
This story rekindled the debate on whether mbanje can actually be used to ward off evil spirits.
The belief that dagga can be used to scare away ghosts, goblins and other evil spirits is widespread. It is very common for people who would have been arrested for possession of the drug to claim in court that the intended use of the drug was to scare away evil spirits.
Such cases often leave those attending court either stunned or in stitches. Court officials, however, do not buy such stories, resulting in the culprits getting convicted.
Below are some of the cases which point to the widespread belief that smoking mbanje scares away evil spirits.
In 2014, a Bulawayo man left the court in stitches when he told the presiding magistrate that he used mbanje to chase away goblins and evil spirits.
Although he was adamant that the intended use of the drug was noble, Future Ngarife (27) of Gwabalanda was found guilty of possessing a dangerous drug.
Ngarife claimed that his home was haunted and that he smoked the drug to chase away goblins and evil spirits. The court ordered him to perform community service.
Similarly, a Chinhoyi man, Hitler Jingura, came up with the same defence in 2013 when he was arrested for possession of dagga.
Like Ngarife, Jingura was sentenced to 305 hours of community service.
The courts were, however, not lenient to Tafadzwa Chawatama of Gukwe Village under chief Chinamhora in Goromonzi.
After being found in possession of marijuana, Chawatama served an 18-month jail term. Chawatama told the court that he had been advised by his relatives to use the dangerous drug on his child so as to scare away evil spirits.
Chawatama would burn the dagga and the minor would inhale the smoke.
Away from the courts, spirit mediums often smoke mbanje as part of the rituals during traditional ceremonies.
In most rural areas, it is believed that if one encounters a ghost, burning mbanje can immediately scare away the supernatural being.
Also in some rural communities, mbanje is believed to have the power to chase away witches. If an owl, a bird which is believed to be used by witches, hoots outside a home at night, mbanje is often burnt.
It is widely believed that the drug’s smell chases the “evil” birds away.
And in some cultures, marijuana is regarded as a sacred plant with medicinal and spiritual powers. The drug, it is alleged, can be used to communicate with the ancestors.
Rastafarians also believe that marijuana is a sacred plant which can be used for meditation and spiritual healing.
Although it is generally agreed that marijuana can be used to heal people with seizure disorders, asthma and hearing problems, among other medicinal uses, the argument that it can be used to ward off evil spirits is not admissible in court.
Online sources indicated that in 2016, mbanje was the most widely used illegal drug in the world, with 4 percent of the global adult population using the drug.
Ngarife claimed that his home was haunted and that he smoked the drug to chase away goblins and evil spirits. The court ordered him to perform community service.
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