witch burning in Papua New Guinea


  • Photographer
    Bettina Flitner
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention
  • Company/Studios
    laif photo agency
  • Date of Photograph
    Februrary 2017

The belief in sorcery in PNG is widely spread. In PNG there is just one doctor for every 10.000 patients, most people do not accept natural causes in case of death of a relative. They belief in the „Sanguma“, that she has used her supernatural power in order to kill another person. The woman, who is spotted as a "witch" is bound naked at a tree and tortured with hot metall in order to get a „confession“. The whole village is watching. Sister Lorena, a catholic nun, is helping the women, who survived a „witch“ burning. A day after my arrvial we heard about a woman, Teno, who was a victim of „Witch burning“. She was locked up in her hut, and severely injured. Sister Lorena brought Teno against the will of aggressive villagers ton the infirmary. She died in the following night. I made also portraits of survivors.

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