News / Education
Hysteria attacks 15 girls at school
08 Feb 2014 at 10:22hrs | Views
MAVHUDZI High (Nyazura) was this week hit by mystical hysteria which attacked at least 15 girls, forcing their parents to temporarily withdraw them from the institution.
The victims were reportedly complaining of chest pains, while others exhibited excessive and uncontrollable panicky behaviour.
Most victims were 15 years old.
Makoni District Education Officer Mr Arkim Jiji on Wednesday confirmed the developments at the school and said the situation was under control.
All the affected girls were taken to Rusape General Hospital for treatment where their condition was said to be normal.
Some complained of chest pains, which was attributed to their hyperactive behaviour under the suspected spiritual possession.
"It is true that some school girls at Mavhudzi High were this week attacked by hysteria. As of yesterday (Tuesday), the situation had stabilised with two girls only in that condition," said Mt Jiji.
Mr Jiji said the cause of the attack was not known.
Mavhudzi has in the past been prone to the attack and the previous episodes have been violent.
Schoolgirls scaled the security fence when possessed, prompting authorities to seek traditional and religious cleansing.
Mr Jiji dismissed reports that Mavhudzi High, which last month hogged the limelight following an incident in which a security guard supervisor callously shot and killed his subordinate over a girlfriend, has been hit with a massive exodus of students.
The Manica Post has established that some parents were contemplating withdrawing their children citing their vulnerability in the midst of both unpredictable armed guards and the alleged satanic or demonic spirit traumatising students.
The parents queried why the school was often attacked by hysteria and whether it was by coincidence that victims regained their sobriety the moment they were out of the school environs.
"What we know is that some parents temporarily took their children home to see what they can do about their conditions. We have not heard of parents pulling out their children from the school totally," said Mr Jiji.
A parent who refused to be named had this to say:
"There must be something terribly wrong at that school. A lot of strange things are happening and my child was among those affected.
"I suspect there is a demonic or satanic spirit at the school because the moment the victims are taken out of the school environs, they regained their sobriety.
"At hospital, all of them had normal temperature and blood pressure. They were all right. The rest went back to school, but I took mine home.
Panenge pane varoyi paya."
Other people took to social medial platform facebook to vent their frustrations.
Mr Inity Saunyama had this to say: "Vese vane vana paMavhudzi, chenjerai kuti vana venyu vari exposed to a Satanic spirit. Last weekend vana 6 vakazodzoswa kumba kana kuendeswa kwa- Makuma (Medical Centre). The authorities should declare this to the public! Let them seek spiritual help fast before it gets out of hand.
"I have a child who is doing Form 4 who was brought home on Sunday. I am not joking. There were four girls with the same condition and symptoms. I am not testing anyone's scientific knowledge, but what is happening at the school is not normal because the victims must be exhibiting the same condition at home," said Mr Saunyama.
Another anonymous character, Mavhudzi weMavhudzi, often on a warpath with authorities at the school, called for calmness, saying the situation was under control.
"No, no, no, don't spread information likely to cause alarm and despondency. Hysteria attacks are common in girls' schools. Kriste Mambo and Bonda Girls' High usually experience similar cases. These are neither fatal nor harmful. It's just a reactive respiratory disturbance. Everything is ok.
Ini ndange ndiri kuMavhudzi from Sunday to today. Everything is normal. Don't create false panic over nothing. Vana varikudzidza zvakanaka.
Inzwai isu. Inga zvakashata zvese zvinomboitikapo nezvirikuitikapo tokuudzai wani," said the faceless character suspected to be a disgruntled insider at the school.
Hysteria is a medical term used to describe an emotional trance which attacks people and has no known medical explanation or without an organic cause.
When it attacks, victims usually behave in all sorts of strange ways and do not know or understand what they will be saying or doing.
Religious and cultural perceptions agree that this is a result of some demonic or spiritual manifestation of the troubled spirit of a dead person seeking identification.
This condition usually attacks women and girls, the reason, critics say, being that "women are the carriers or deliverers of life and hence would quickly relate to spiritual suffering", especially in the "cases of the dead who seek proper burial rites."
The victims were reportedly complaining of chest pains, while others exhibited excessive and uncontrollable panicky behaviour.
Most victims were 15 years old.
Makoni District Education Officer Mr Arkim Jiji on Wednesday confirmed the developments at the school and said the situation was under control.
All the affected girls were taken to Rusape General Hospital for treatment where their condition was said to be normal.
Some complained of chest pains, which was attributed to their hyperactive behaviour under the suspected spiritual possession.
"It is true that some school girls at Mavhudzi High were this week attacked by hysteria. As of yesterday (Tuesday), the situation had stabilised with two girls only in that condition," said Mt Jiji.
Mr Jiji said the cause of the attack was not known.
Mavhudzi has in the past been prone to the attack and the previous episodes have been violent.
Schoolgirls scaled the security fence when possessed, prompting authorities to seek traditional and religious cleansing.
Mr Jiji dismissed reports that Mavhudzi High, which last month hogged the limelight following an incident in which a security guard supervisor callously shot and killed his subordinate over a girlfriend, has been hit with a massive exodus of students.
The Manica Post has established that some parents were contemplating withdrawing their children citing their vulnerability in the midst of both unpredictable armed guards and the alleged satanic or demonic spirit traumatising students.
The parents queried why the school was often attacked by hysteria and whether it was by coincidence that victims regained their sobriety the moment they were out of the school environs.
"What we know is that some parents temporarily took their children home to see what they can do about their conditions. We have not heard of parents pulling out their children from the school totally," said Mr Jiji.
A parent who refused to be named had this to say:
"There must be something terribly wrong at that school. A lot of strange things are happening and my child was among those affected.
"I suspect there is a demonic or satanic spirit at the school because the moment the victims are taken out of the school environs, they regained their sobriety.
"At hospital, all of them had normal temperature and blood pressure. They were all right. The rest went back to school, but I took mine home.
Panenge pane varoyi paya."
Other people took to social medial platform facebook to vent their frustrations.
Mr Inity Saunyama had this to say: "Vese vane vana paMavhudzi, chenjerai kuti vana venyu vari exposed to a Satanic spirit. Last weekend vana 6 vakazodzoswa kumba kana kuendeswa kwa- Makuma (Medical Centre). The authorities should declare this to the public! Let them seek spiritual help fast before it gets out of hand.
"I have a child who is doing Form 4 who was brought home on Sunday. I am not joking. There were four girls with the same condition and symptoms. I am not testing anyone's scientific knowledge, but what is happening at the school is not normal because the victims must be exhibiting the same condition at home," said Mr Saunyama.
Another anonymous character, Mavhudzi weMavhudzi, often on a warpath with authorities at the school, called for calmness, saying the situation was under control.
"No, no, no, don't spread information likely to cause alarm and despondency. Hysteria attacks are common in girls' schools. Kriste Mambo and Bonda Girls' High usually experience similar cases. These are neither fatal nor harmful. It's just a reactive respiratory disturbance. Everything is ok.
Ini ndange ndiri kuMavhudzi from Sunday to today. Everything is normal. Don't create false panic over nothing. Vana varikudzidza zvakanaka.
Inzwai isu. Inga zvakashata zvese zvinomboitikapo nezvirikuitikapo tokuudzai wani," said the faceless character suspected to be a disgruntled insider at the school.
Hysteria is a medical term used to describe an emotional trance which attacks people and has no known medical explanation or without an organic cause.
When it attacks, victims usually behave in all sorts of strange ways and do not know or understand what they will be saying or doing.
Religious and cultural perceptions agree that this is a result of some demonic or spiritual manifestation of the troubled spirit of a dead person seeking identification.
This condition usually attacks women and girls, the reason, critics say, being that "women are the carriers or deliverers of life and hence would quickly relate to spiritual suffering", especially in the "cases of the dead who seek proper burial rites."
Source - manicapost
