Sergio is a webmaster in Lubumbashi, the provincial capital of Katanga. One of his friends in Kakanda village filmed these two videos and told him all about the events that took place.

The young man apparently died of an illness. But he passed away so quickly that his family immediately thought that it was his uncle, who happened to be the village chief, who had put a curse on him. According to local tradition, the village chief can gain power by sacrificing young men, and thus secure his position. But the uncle convinced the family that he was not the murderer and authorized them to carry out a “londola” to identify the culprits.

In general, the londola brings together the entire village, because everyone wants to know who committed the crime. In fact, the practice doesn't always have to end in lynching: the idea at the beginning was that the alleged culprit should be humiliated by being selected by the casket in front of all the other villagers. But, progressively, people have become convinced that the alleged culprits, even once they were “outed” by the casket, would continue to kill, and came to believe it is better to kill them first.

“If the people carrying the casket can no longer move it, it means that the designated person is indeed the culprit”

On the footage, we see that those carrying the casket have white powder on their faces. It is a way to protect themselves from the deceased, because it is said that during the londola, they become evil and can kill many people. It is also said that their breathing can be heard if one gets close to the casket.

The footage also shows a man kneeling by the casket, speaking to the deceased in Swahili [starting at 1'30]. He lives in one of the houses chosen by the casket and is pleading with the deceased to believe in his innocence. But the man was nonetheless be carried out by the deceased's relatives, who beat him to death. According to the tradition, if the people carrying the casket can no longer move it, it means that the designated person is indeed the culprit.

Those who believe in this practice think that the law will not punish the witchcraft allegedly committed by the individuals selected by the casket. Personally, I don't believe in it at all, simply because the casket does not fly by itself. It is very much carried by real people who may have bad intentions.

Even though the administrator of Lubudi decided to outlaw the londola, this phenomenon will continue so long as a law is not passed against it in parliament.