Cailynn's Blog

Why is 13 the witch’s number in Europe, but meaningless in African traditions? In Europe, witches were bound by superstition and scapegoating. In Nguni cultures, they were bound by intent and the will of the ancestors. This blog explores how fear, malice, and storytelling shaped the figure of the witch — and how The Girl Who Knew The Medicine reimagines that legacy in a modern South African setting.

The witch is never just one figure. In 17th-century Europe, she was a scapegoat, accused of consorting with the devil. In Nguni traditions, the umthakathi was feared as a sorcerer who used ukuthakatha to harm. Yet, alongside them were cunning women, white witches, inyangas, and sangomas — healers who balanced fear with reverence. This blog explores the fragile line between healer and heretic, accusation and intent, and how The Girl Who Knew The Medicine was born from that hau