Witchcraft is defined as the utilization of various kinds of magical and supernatural powers to influence people and things, with either good or bad intentions, and it has been practiced for at lease a thousand years in many regions of the world including Africa, Europe and South America.
Witchcraft has historically mostly been seen as something that is evil, with the classic version of it being the witches of medieval Europe who cast spells on people with evil results such as causing them to get sick or kill others.
Witches have also some times been seen as good, such as in the case of European “white witches” who use their powers to reverse the effects of an evil spell, or witch doctors who cure diseases.
Up until recently the main attitude towards witches has been one of fear and revulsion, which has led to many thousands of people being killed in witch hunts.
It used to be that most people believe that witches and witchcraft were real and that witches actually existed and practiced witchcraft. This belief persisted with the great majority of people believing up until the 19th century.
After this time the number of believers steeply declined in the developed world. This was due to the increase of scientific knowledge during the 19th and 20th century although this belief still remained high in less developed countries.
There are still reports of witch hunts in the third world to this day, with witch killing case being reported in countries like Tanzania, Uganda and Ghana. There was a report that 15 suspected witches had been killed in the month of February 2003 alone in Nigeria.
With the emergence of New Age ideas and a new respect for indigenous religious practices this belief in witches is again on the increase.
There is a big division today as to how modern day witches and witchcraft are viewed. The negative view as an evil force is still prevalent in the third world countries today.
On the other hand witchcraft is portrayed positively in the media, with the portrayal of Native American Shamans and Caribbean Voodoo Practitioners. There is also a version of witchcraft being practiced by people in the developed world. This version of witchcraft is one in which only good is practiced.