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Bald men in Mozambique ritualistically attacked due to 'gold' in their heads

By T.K. Randall
July 26, 2023 · Comment icon 9 comments

There's gold in them, there... err.. bald heads ? Image Credit: Pixabay / Stevebidmead
A bizarre superstition in the African nation has seen many bald men attacked and even killed over the last few years.
We've heard of some strange beliefs over the years, but this one might just take the cake.

Back in 2017, bald men in Mozambique were warned by local authorities to look out for ritual attacks perpetrated by individuals who believed that people with no hair had gold 'stored inside their heads'.

While it's difficult to accept that anyone would actually believe such a thing, there have been numerous reported attacks on bald men over several years owing to this absurd concept.
"The belief is that the head of a bald man contains gold," police commander Afonso Dias was quoted as saying at the time. "Their motive comes from superstition and culture - the local community thinks bald individuals are rich."

This bizarre superstition has so far seen at least five individuals murdered in the country.

Authorities believe that witchdoctors may perpetuate the belief about the gold to motivate others to kill and dismember bald men so that the body parts can then be used for other ritualistic purposes.

Whatever the case, if you are bald and happen to be going to Mozambique, maybe try wearing a hat...

Source: Metro.co.uk | Comments (9)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Abramelin 1 year ago
According to Darwin these people will die out soon. Stupidity of thàt magnitude cannot possibly continue for thousands of years.   Alas. It will.  
Comment icon #2 Posted by mackeyall 1 year ago
This story is over 5 years old. Realize people all over the world have strange beliefs, that's why a lot of us visit this site. And here in the US you have a group of people thinking a dead man will come back to life and become Vice President. 
Comment icon #3 Posted by josellama2000 1 year ago
that sounds like the holy grail but instead targeting middle easterns, it is to get rid of the bald men. On the old days gossip were used as much as TV News are used today. Same problem, same people, better meanings now.
Comment icon #4 Posted by Portre 1 year ago
Scratch Mozambique off my vacation list. 
Comment icon #5 Posted by Cho Jinn 1 year ago
Child sacrifice by self-styled witch doctors still is or at least was until very recently a problem in Uganda and neighboring countries. Add it to the list of awfulness.
Comment icon #6 Posted by Nicolette 1 year ago
I don't understand why this continued after the first bald man only had brains in there.
Comment icon #7 Posted by DJansen 1 year ago
So I'm guessing the repeated failure to find gold inside anyone's head hasn't been enough of an indication that they're wrong?
Comment icon #8 Posted by Cho Jinn 1 year ago
Fake news - real bald-head-gold-machete-extracting hasn't actually been tried before.   For the future!
Comment icon #9 Posted by Hammerclaw 1 year ago
Sounds like Peleliu.


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