Cultural Bias in Britain

Several centuries after Western Europe stopped torturing peopke accused of being "witches," African immigrants have brought the tradition back to England. Sita Kisanga, an African immigrant, was one of three people convicted of child cruelty charges after torturing an eight-year old African girl because her family decided that she was a witch.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Kisanga said she tried to prevent the abuse, but insisted the girl contained an evil spirit, know as kindoki.

"We were living really good. Then it came to one occasion I heard that the child was crying. I thought she was alone in the room and then I saw her auntie beating her with a belt.

I was really surprised and I said 'what is the problem?' and she said to me 'Sita, this child is talking about serious things, things relating to witchcraft'.

She started to explain that the girl goes to Africa in the night-time to do bad things.

I know that it is not easy for people to believe, but those people with a spiritual belief, they will know that what I am saying is true. There is the spiritual world and the material world.

She [the aunt] was beating her like that because she believes in witchcraft, kindoki. She really deeply believed it.

Ms. Kinsanga complained to the BBC that she had never actually beaten the child, but that the girl's aunt had done so over her protests. The court apparently found her denials unconvincing.

I didn't trust anyone [to come forward at the time] because no-one would believe me. Look at the problems I've got now. I've explained to them, but they don't believe me.

In our community, kindoki happens. It is killing people. It is doing bad things. It is a serious matter.

In our community in the UK everyone believes in it. In our country they believe in it too.

It is not easy for you to accept these things because you are from a different culture.

Well, one wonders why Ms. Kisanga and the other two individuals were convicted at all. They were just following the unique and equally valid customs of their particular culture. Where are the multiculturalists to tell us how racist white, British society is to impose its racist/imperialist/xenophobic cultural standards on Ms. Kisanger and her fellow African immigrants. After all, there's nothing special about Western culture (save that in the minds of most multiculturalists, it's the sole source of evil in the world). Why should Ms. Kisanga suffer because of the intolerance of British cultural bias? Aren't all cultural practices of equal value? Isn't it racist to elevate Western ways above those of Africa? Of course, the multiculturalists are careful not to make such arguments when a child is being abused. They understand that would be going to far and would expose the true motives behind their intellectual fraud.

Ms. Kinsanga's particular mix of false compassion and self-obsession came through perfectly during the radio interview when she said:

"I feel sorry for what's happened to the child. I'm not really feeling sorry for her though. She's not feeling sorry for me."