The Weapons of Spiritual Warfare in Coastal Kenya

Abstract

The popular gospel song by Kenyan artist Dr Sarah K paraphrases Isaiah 54:17 by stating that “there are no weapons formed against us that will prosper” ( hakuna silaha yoyote, iliyotumwa kinyume kwetu, itakayofaulu ). The song subsequently refers to “evil words that are mentioned” ( maneno maovu yaliyonenwa ), “witchcraft” ( uchawi ), “spirits” ( mapepo ), “traditional healing” ( uganga ), and “idolatry” ( ushirikina ) as examples of weapons that are overcome by those who follow the song's advice that “you should not fear, stand with the word of God” ( usiogope, simame na neno la Mungu ). This gospel song fits a broader trend in which Pentecostal Christians engage in spiritual warfare across and beyond the African continent. This chapter argues that spiritual warfare is waged against malicious spiritual forces that normally remain invisible, but that spiritual warfare and the weapons used in it nevertheless manifest themselves materially through the actions that people undertake to identify and protect themselves against such forces. The chapter subsequently explores how the ways in which people handle spiritual weapons affect and reconfigure social relations in coastal Kenya on three interrelated scales, namely relations (1) between people who share intimate social bonds, (2) between different religious groups, and (3) between government authorities and Kenyan citizens.