Vampire scare

last updated 8 January 2015

Blantyre, Malawi

A provincial governor of Blantyre was beaten and stoned this week by a crowd of 200 people who believed he was harboring vampires. It was just the latest attack in a scare that has been sweeping the rural, impoverished country over the past few months. Villagers are convinced that the government is colluding with vampires to steal people’s blood and sell it to international organizations. President Bakili Muluzi accused the opposition of spreading the rumors and vehemently denied any vampiric activity, but Malawians remain convinced. “We don’t know whether they are real people or spirits, but we know they are attacking,” said villager Peter James, who believes his sister’s death last month was the work of vampires. “It’s been happening almost every week.”