Cannibalism in Africa
Acts of
cannibalism in Africa have been reported from various parts of the continent, ranging from prehistoric times until the 21th century. The possibly oldest evidence of
human cannibalism has been found in
Kenya in eastern
Africa...
In the late 19th century, cannibalism seems to have been especially prevalent in parts of the
Congo Basin. While some groups rejected the custom, others indulged in human flesh, often considering it a delicacy superior to other meats. Killed or captured enemies could be consumed, and in some areas, individuals from different ethnic groups were hunted down for the same purpose.
Slaves were also sacrificed for the table, especially young children, who were in little demand for other purposes but praised as very tasty. In some areas, human flesh and slaves intended for eating were openly traded at marketplaces...
North of the Congo Basin,
Jean-Bédel Bokassa, dictator of the
Central African Republic, seems to have eaten the flesh of murdered opponents and political prisoners during the 1970s. There are further reports of such acts from the
civil war in the same country, which started in 2012...
The
Leopard Society was a cannibalistic
secret society that existed until the mid-1900s and was active mostly in regions that today belong to
Sierra Leone,
Liberia and
Ivory Coast. The
Leopard men would dress in
leopard skins and waylay travellers with sharp claw-like weapons in the form of leopards' claws and teeth.
[12] The victims' flesh would be cut from their bodies and distributed to members of the society.
[13]...
In the 1980s,
Médecins Sans Frontières, the international medical charity, supplied photographic and other documentary evidence of ritualized cannibal feasts among the participants in
Liberia's internecine strife preceding the
First Liberian Civil War to representatives of
Amnesty International...
A few years later, reported of cannibal acts committed during the
Second Liberian Civil War and
Sierra Leone Civil War emerged.
[15][16]...
Many people not only freely admitted eating human flesh, but were surprised when they heard that Europeans did
not eat it.
[18]...
In addition to enemies killed or captured in war,
slaves were frequent victims. Many "healthy children" had to die "to provide a feast for their owners".
[22] Young slave children were at particular risk since they were in low demand for other purposes and since their flesh was widely praised as especially delicious.
Various reports indicate that living slaves were exposed on marketplaces, so that purchasers could choose which body parts to buy before the victim was butchered and the flesh distributed.
It often happens that the poor creature destined for the knife is exposed for sale in the market. He walks to and fro and epicures come to examine him. They describe the parts they prefer, one the arm, one the leg, breast, or head. The portions which are purchased are marked off with lines of coloured ochre. When the entire body is sold, the wretch is slain.
[32]
Cannibalism in Africa - Wikipedia.
www.politico.com
