New Year’s Eve in the Christian calendar is the moment of transition. On this day, millions of people across the globe exchange wishes but it is also the moment for predictions for the coming year. In Africa, fortune tellers are extremely busy at this time of the year. Here are some of the predictions for 2011 collected across the Continent.

In DRC, God says… (Alice Bafiala Mutombo, Kinshasa)
2011 is the year of the DRC’s general elections. Pastor Boaz Ilunga Avoyouchec says “the electoral campaign will be marked by the death of a candidate and that incumbent president Joseph Kabila will win the majority of votes in the first round.”

These revelations came to the pastor after intensive prayers that he usually undertakes, each year, in the second semester. Pastor Boaz, who predicted the 2009 Parliament crisis and the ousting of Vital Kamerhe, former President of the National Assembly, from his political party, the PPRD, asks Congolese to keep hope. “The DRC will get out of the tough situation and will earn international respect; it should get its rights back on world stage. The country will witness intense diplomatic activities led by important personalities”, he adds.

Pastor Boaz’s predictions also say there will be diplomatic problems between the DRC and Angola, but also with Great-Britain about oil contracts. The production of crops will decrease and an epidemy will start in Bandundu province which will hit the rest of the country. He says that “God’s people should not get discouraged by this bad news. God is a sovereign dictator-like chief, we have to listen to his voice and do his will”.

Another strong message comes from the 86-year-old prophet based in North Katanga, Ba Meshac. He warns: “God will fight whoever triggers war in the DRC. This is the only prophetic message I have to deliver. God has not revealed much to me”, he added in Swahili.

Chaos in Zimbabwe (Thabo Kunene, Harare)
A Zimbabwean sanusi (Ndebele fortune-teller) who preferred not to be identified for fear of reprisals by security agents told Radio Netherlands Worldwide that his ancestors have warned him that Zimbabwe will slide back into chaos. Tensions will rise between the country’s two ethnic groups, the Ndebele and Shona and blood will be spilt.

“I see leadership vacuum in this country when President Robert Mugabe dies. ZANU-PF leaders will fight each other to replace him and Morgan Tsvangirai will not rule Zimbabwe,” said the sanusi.

He says he sees a new leader emerging from the ranks of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction led by Tsvangirai. The new leader, says the fortune teller, will have to deal with serious problems that will arise from Matabeleland province whose leaders are advocating for autonomy or devolution of power.

“I also see a big man dying in South Africa but I won’t say his name. There is trouble coming for people in Central and West Africa. I see many people dying there,” adds the sanusi.

The Bulawayo-based fortune teller is the only one left in the city after the death of Scotsman Bill MacLeod who predicted the genocide in Central Africa in the late 80s. MacLeod predicted the emergence of a political party that would kick Mugabe out of power by the end of the century.

That party turned out to be the MDC which came close to defeating Mugabe in 2000. It was said that Mugabe lost the election in 2000 to MDC and again in 2008 to Tsvangirai.

The sanusi’s fear of being identified comes after he was arrested in 1979 by the Rhodesian government at the time. In that year, he predicted that two civilian aircrafts would be brought down by members of the guerillas. He was accused of working with them.

Tough and complicated year (Caasi Sagalai, Nairobi)
“I will need at least three weeks to give you a more accurate prediction for 2011. It will be a complicated year, I can tell you that for sure.” These are the words of a fortune teller over what is in store for Kenya and Africa in the coming year.

“Get other fortune tellers. Find at least six of them, then call me if you really want to know what will happen on the Continent. It will be a tough year,” says another, based in the capital Nairobi.

They prefer to remain discreet, and play difficult with the subject.

Another one says that “the six Kenyan suspects will go for sure to the Hague. They will be tried for their role in the post-election violence. It’s a waste of time for the Kenyan parliament to try to stop that. They will be tried there (in The Hague, ed).”

“There will be problems with the referendum in Sudan, don’t ask me for details. It will be a hungry year for Africa, there will be drought,” another one adds.

Most of these fortune tellers demand large payments for their predictions. They perform elaborate rituals to consult the ‘ancestors’ and find answers. As for their predictions, only time can tell.