Nyazura – The chilling tale of Memory Maraya, a Nyazura woman who claims to have been initiated into the dark world of witchcraft by her own mother at the tender age of 13, has taken a new, unsettling turn. Maraya, now homeless after being forced to leave the home of a well-wisher due to her nocturnal sleepwalking episodes, is desperately seeking help to break the curse she believes is haunting her.
The story began with Maraya’s public revelation of her mother’s alleged initiation rituals, a harrowing account that left many questioning the nature of her ordeal. However, the situation has escalated beyond mere accusations, with Maraya now experiencing a series of unsettling sleepwalking episodes that have left her ostracized and deeply troubled.
“I am traumatised. I need someone to help me break this curse so that I can lead a normal life again. After exposing my mother, ‘sleepwalking’ has become a nightly norm as I wake up outside the house wandering around naked. The door of the room I sleep in will be locked from inside,” Maraya recounted, her voice choked with despair.
Her sleepwalking episodes have taken on a disturbingly ritualistic quality, often leading her to cemeteries, where she has been found wandering stark naked. These incidents have left those who have tried to help her terrified, fearing for their own safety.
“Those who had offered me sanctuary could not take it any more as they feared that I might end up harming them. I approached a popular traditional healer in Harare for help, but woke up outside his house as well,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
Maraya’s sleepwalking is believed to be a manifestation of a deeper spiritual struggle, with some attributing it to demonic possession, while others believe it to be a result of traumatic experiences from past lives.
“I oftentimes wake up at gravesites while naked, and against such background, no stranger will be comfortable having me under their roof,” she said, her voice trembling.
Maraya’s current mission is to convince her mother, who resides in Mwenezi, Masvingo, to accompany her to Harare to seek the help of a traditional healer, Sekuru Tasvu.
“I am in Masvingo trying to trick my mother so that we can visit Sekuru Tasvu’s shrine together. Please pray for me so that this trick works because my agony is unprecedented. It is hard being told in your face that you devoured someone’s child. That is the story of my life. I dream eating human flesh, and I sometime vomit it while awake,” she said, her voice filled with a mixture of desperation and fear.
The woman who had previously offered Maraya shelter, identified only as Kawere, confirmed the disturbing nature of Maraya’s sleepwalking episodes.
“I started dreaming of her chasing me while brandishing a knife every night. Some nights, I dreamt of her with a strange paraphernalia and hallucinating in a foreign language. I had to let her go after her sleepwalking escapades in which she was found on different occasions wandering outside and at gravesites during the night. I hope she gets help soon because you could tell that she is being used and does not like it at all,” Kawere said.
Maraya’s aunt, Chiedza Vakirai, confirmed that Maraya is currently in Masvingo, attempting to persuade her mother to travel to Harare for help.
“We are all praying that her mother accepts to accompany her to Harare so that Maraya gets assistance. Maraya has suffered to the extent of visualising carrying a snake on her back. The snake is only visible to her. She is in pain, and you can tell by merely looking at her. We have distanced ourselves from her predicament because her mother is terrifying,” Vakirai said, her voice heavy with concern.
Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers’ Association (ZINATHA) president George Kandiero advised Maraya to seek help from experienced exorcists.
“She can be healed if she approaches the right healers. We have sniffers and exorcists she can approach for help. It could be that she is approaching novice exorcists when the level of her mother’s witchcraft is above their powers,” Kandiero said.
Maraya’s story serves as a stark reminder of the enduring power of belief in the supernatural in Zimbabwe, where traditional practices and spiritual interpretations often intertwine with the complexities of modern life. Her plight raises questions about the role of traditional healers in addressing mental health issues and the need for a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between the physical and spiritual realms. As Maraya continues her desperate search for help, her story serves as a poignant testament to the enduring power of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
