A surreal video released on YouTube by Emmanuel TV, the popular channel of Nigerian Pastor T.B. Joshua, showing the pathetic story of an 80-year-old woman who was branded a witch and ostracised, has elicited a storm of emotional reactions online.
The clip titled ‘SHOCKING: Living With A CURSED CORPSE’, chronicles the strange account of an elderly woman forced to live with the body of her late daughter for a harrowing fourteen months, accused of being the ‘witch’ responsible for the spate of untimely deaths in her family.
“This is not a fairytale story,” the description of the video reads, “but a real-life, gruesome account of superstition, sorcery and surreal spiritual manipulation.”
After hearing of the octogenarian’s sordid ordeal from an in-law, Joshua invited her from Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria and declared her innocent of the accusation of witchcraft, leading the congregation in prayers on his knees for forgiveness.
A church team subsequently followed Mrs Atta back to her village, organised a befitting burial for the deceased and conveyed the message that the elderly woman was innocent of all devilish activities blamed on her.
Reactions to the lengthy clip were emotion-laden. “I’m a big man but I cried my eyes out while watching this video,” wrote Stephen Mammburu from South Africa. “There are too many sad and evil things happening out there. Just because we don’t come across them doesn’t mean that it’s not happening.”
“I never been so touched and cried like that,” stated Josi Josi, another YouTube viewer. “May God Almighty forgive our faithless generation,” she concluded.
Yamikani Yotamu from Zambia bluntly stated, “I am a man but this made me cry. How do we treat our old mothers like this? God sees!”
A user going by the name of ‘Les Jeunes Thugs’ blamed the incident on primitive superstition. “Thank you TB Joshua – but look at this nonsense which Africa believes. Oh, tears are running down my cheeks!”
However, not all viewers were unanimous in their praise for Joshua’s intervention, Niki Tennison arguing the clip was nothing more than “morbid sensationalism” and not something to be aired publicly.
Emmanuel TV has gained a reputation for releasing controversial YouTube clips, racking up a whopping 450,000 subscribers in the process.
Ihechukwu Njoku is a freelance Nigerian journalist who writes about the Synagogue Church of All Nations.
