One of the two is a rational, thought-out countermeasure taken from years of experince, the other is a ridiculous superstition that is so demonstrably wrong that it should be abandoned after the first engagement. No comparison. Well, there is a comparison to be made, but it's better compared under the heading of morale enhancement rather than a comparison of varying equipment.
The flag the Marines planted at Iwo Jima offered no practical shelter or protection from Japanese fire, but it was certainly a welcome sight, and the raising of it was more than just a symbolic act that deservedly endures today. That the totems and images Africans prefer tend to be more individual and personalized than the national flag WWII American Marines preferred may simply reflect a difference in cultural or tribal preference. The motivation as a morale enhancer is similar, however.
The flag the Marines planted at Iwo Jima offered no practical shelter or protection from Japanese fire, but it was certainly a welcome sight, and the raising of it was more than just a symbolic act that deservedly endures today. True, but the Marines on Iwo didn't delude themselves into the belief that raising a flag would offer anything other than a morale effect- which it did, amongst other things.
Believing that wearing a dress and a feather boa will deflect a bullet, and seeing that it doesn't, and continuing to act as if it does, is a simple inability to grasp the logic of cause and effect.
We tend to do things because they work. We discard them if they don't, and try something else until we find something that does work.
I guess I am seeing this more as an issue of practical soldiering, rather than than a study in belief systems.
Hey, I hope they keep on believing this stuff. We may have to fight them someday.