INTO THE ABYSS: The human mind is a puzzle that baffles even the most
skilled of psychiatrists. Many in Tanzania don’t quite understand what
drives a man to butcher his own children, or cause a lover to try to
kill his fiancé and then gruesomely end his own life. PHOTO | AFP
By Athuman Mtulya, The Citizen
Posted Sunday, October 27 2013 at 03:27
Posted Sunday, October 27 2013 at 03:27
In Summary
Like animals, human beings can be both loving
and homicidal/suicidal, sometimes in equal measure. These conflicting
attributes explain shocking cases of couples killing one another in cold
blood or parents slaughtering their own children. '
Dar es Salaam. Be warned!
According to behaviour specialists, your partner or someone you are fond
of could turn against you at any time--with disastrous consequences.
Like animals, human beings can be both loving and
murderous, sometimes in equal measure. These conflicting attributes
explain shocking cases of couples killing one another in cold blood or
parents slaughtering their own children.
Yet the tell-tale signs are always there, if
anyone cares to look hard enough. Being alert to them could be the
passport to staying alive.
In light of growing concerns about the rising number of people turning against loved ones, The Citizen on Sunday went in search of answers on the factors behind such crimes.
The most recent cases include the killing of ITV
reporter Ufoo Saro’s mother, Anastazia, quickly followed by Ufoo’s own
shooting by her fiancé Anthery Mushi--who then committed suicide.
In April this year, 24 year-old Justine Albert reportedly killed his three children in Majimoto village in Katavi region.
He reportedly attacked the children, aged between four months and six years, before turning on their mother.
He threw her down a well. In Moshi, a man was this
month reported to have shot himself dead after killing his wife in a
similar fashion following a quarrel.
The Mushi case is puzzling because he is described
as polite and soft-spoken. He was the kind of person who could not kill
a fly, according to relatives speaking at his funeral a week ago.
They described him as silent, humble and
hardworking and they were at a loss to explain how he could turn the gun
on the longstanding fiancé he had a 14 year-old child with.
Some openly expressed shock when told their kin,
who had been away working in Sudan, had been found with handcuffs, two
body bags, an acid bottle, an axe and a length of rope tied like a
hangman’s noose.
Anthery and his mother-in-law have since been
buried and Ufoo is nursing her injuries at Muhimbili National Hospital.
Police investigations continue.
Dr Isaac Lema, a clinical psychologist and member of the
executive committee of the Mental Health Association of Tanzania
(Mehata), says it is hard to understand what was going on in Anthery’s
mind at the time since he left no word to explain his actions.
However, Dr Lema said, some scenarios could
explain what was going on in his mind and those of others who have gone
the same route.
“We don’t yet know what happened to the trio, what
happened before going to Ufoo’s mother and what they talked about in
there,” said Dr Lema, “and Ufoo hasn’t opened up.”
Piecing together those moments is crucial to
unravelling the case. Because the trio were not strangers, it is
possible that the relationship got complicated.
Dr Lema added: “Was it betrayal? We don’t know…but
you get that sense of ‘Why me? What would they (society) think of me?’
These would be the obvious questions to interrogate in such a situation.
The victims may get entangled in a “they are ones who drove me into
this whole web of blame…”
According to the doctor, there is a syndrome
called the “fear arousal culture” where friends and relatives will tell
one things about their partners, which could be true or false.
These may instigate trouble, warnings or just
mockery. But depending on the individual’s strength of character, the
interpretation may lead to unexpected reactions.
In Anthery’s case, medical tests may explain his
mental state at the time of the shooting. “No one knows what he was
battling in his head and how long it lasted,” said Dr Lema.
Dr Kissa Mwambona, a psychiatrist and
secretary-general of Mehata, said depression is hard to detect--unlike
other mental problems such as hallucination, illusion and delusion.
“When someone is in depression he/she normally is
not violent or doing other weird things that people expect from people
with mental problems…in the meantime, they plan their actions and
usually take revenge on those they think caused their problems before
taking their own lives.”
Men, especially those aged 40 and above, are more
prone to this and tend to plan their moves undetected. “Very few women
can conceal their ill motives when they are under depression,” she said.
“They have a tendency to talk about their problems.”
Only after the damage is done do people close to
the victim start to connect the dots to understand why and how the
victim(s) did what they did.
Other factors, such as rage, can also explain the goings-on in a
killer’s mind. People like Anthery could be driven by one or both.
Dr Mwambona added: “Having a gun alone is not
enough to say he planned the killings. But the hanging rope, acid,
handcuffs and an axe show that he was prepared for the mission…but the
way he was shooting tells a different story. Maybe he was overwhelmed by
rage. Someone who is well prepared uses as few bullets as possible to
achieve his goals.”
Personality is another important factor in any
reaction. Anthery’s friends say he was not violent. A family friend
confided that he kept his problems and views to himself.
The friend added: “You couldn’t tell what he was
thinking or doing and he rarely shared anything even with his own close
relatives. That night Anthery tried calling a close friend to no avail.”
“The phone was on charge and he was deeply asleep.
When he woke up, he found 35 missed calls from Anthery and as he tried
to phone him, he was told what had happened.”
“No one knows that he wanted to tell him and he was the only person he tried to reach out to.”
Dr Lema says introverts like what Anthery lack one
important thing extroverts enjoy. “You know, when you share your
thoughts and hardships, sound advice will find its way to you…had he
reached out to more people, he probably would have been helped out and
we would be telling a different story now.”
People who commit suicide do not see a future and
believe they have no reason to be alive, said Dr Lema. “The fact that he
didn’t leave any note may simply mean that this was his intended
solution to his problems.”
SOURCE: THE CITIZEN
SOURCE: THE CITIZEN
