Witch hunt, Ambositra, Madagascar

"During my previous visit to Madagascar the subject on witches kept popping out here and there where ever i go and people would tell me stories about witches. I did not give much attention because i had no interest in that. As i heard more and more stories on witches it became clear that this is very common there and everybody knows what witches are and everyone is afraid of them."

"Then a good Malagasy friend of mine told me of an incidence that happened to him and his friend a while ago. It was a scary experience they will never forget. One time he was going on a ride in the country side with a friend of his then their car broke down. As it was getting dark outside they decided to act fast and try to fix it before it got too dark to see. All of a sudden they started hearing strange squeaking/screaming sounds coming from nearby. Upon hearing that they freaked out and quickly closed the hood then jumped in their car locking their doors and windows. The screams outside started getting louder and closer. Then all of a sudden something jumped on the roof of their car. Dark outside they could not see what it was. All they could do is sit still and avoid creating any sounds hoping maybe with that what's outside will leave them alone and this nightmare will end. But it didn't. More and more creepy sounds and screams kept being heard from outside. Then their car windows started to get all covered up with mud. Mud was being smeared on their windows. What or whoever was outside wanted them to become completely blind to the outside. They waited helplessly and patiently for a car to pass by that could help them out but none came. They had cellphones but there was no reception. The screams kept being heard from time to time but they did not dare putting a foot outside. Waiting was the only thing they can do since nothing worked. The waiting ended in the early daylight of the morning when a taxi van(called taxi brousse there)passed by and agreed to pull them out of there to the nearest town."

"While visiting Ifanadiana(a small city in the south around 6 hours from Ambositra)i had a experience that was a bit strange to me. I was visiting some friends who have a tiny pastry shop there. Between the outside customers and those who work inside the shop there's a transparent white veil. When i arrived there i greeted my friends and all then i sat down behind the veil but i could still see the outside. I got busy with my phone checking my emails and all. Few minutes later a woman approached the veil lifting it up then started talking to my friends. When i turned and looked at her i was surprised by her creepy vibes and her abnormal looking head/face, the bones contours around her eyes were deep and wide. Her body was as strange as her head, never seen anyone like that in my life and in all my travels. Her bizarre head and body was as bizarre as the vibes i was picking up from her. Her soul felt undeveloped and still have more animal characteristics in her nature then that in an ordinary soul from our time. It's like this soul is trapped(for some reason)in it's very early elementary evolutionary stage and have not evolved ever since."

"After talking with my friends the woman then let go of the veil turned around and sat outside facing me and looking at me. She was not concentrating at any part in my, her stare engulfed all of me. As i got back being busy with my phone again i would take peaks at the woman from time to time and notice that her creepy stare on me have not moved. Then someone from outside passed by me and told me "Don't let her get close to you, she can hurt you, she's witch". When i heard that, it sort of made sense to me somehow and yet i didn't understand where exactly. But that warning made me think that there could be some truth to that so i decided to go inside, out of the woman's sight completely. About 20 minutes later i came out and the woman was gone."

"Upon returning back to Ambositra from Ifanadiana the subject on witches popped up again. Then i heard about someone who have dealt with a witch before and have seen them before. So i decided with my friends to go check him out and maybe see some witches there since it was known in his neighborhood there's a lot of witches that come out at night and nobody dare to come out from their homes after. Witches are known to come out at night between 2 and 3 am in the morning. I was told that they have the ability to control people, paralyzing them and do whatever they want with them and that you should avoid making contact with at all cost."

"I was taping our trip there in pitch darkness then continued taping the interview we did with the person who have seen witches before. And where in one case he came across one dancing naked in the middle of the night in a cemetery and managed to hit her with a stick."

Patrick Zakhm

The video below covers the trip and the interview.

During the interview, Patrick would ask the translator questions in French and the translator would ask the man in Malagasy language.The man tells Patrick where one night he came across a young witch about 18-20 years old dancing naked in a cemetery. According to the man, there are two types of witches naked and dressed. These witches are normal human beings during the day the man says and only turn to witches late at night. So this one was naked and she was all covered up with coconut oil he said. The oil suppose to keep her warm and to make her slippery in case somebody wants to hold on to her or do harm to her. According to belief grabbing a witch brings good luck and a witch grabbing you and getting hold of you brings you bad luck. So the man got a hold of a stick and hit the young witch on her ankle to prevent her from leaving. The translation then went awry afterward but the man promised Patrick that next time he's in town he'll take him to Imadi(a small town not far from Ambositra)where the man's brother live and where they have a lot of witches there and was willing to show him some.