After a strenuous day, a National Geographic film would have done the honours of relaxing my exhausted mind, but this time I somehow found solace in a bizarre BBC documentary about ritualistic traditions in parts of West Africa, focusing specifically on Sierra Leone. It was one of those videos YouTube recommends or conveniently pushes to the top based on your algorithm.
According to the documentary, witchcraft in the region has evolved into a
highly weaponized and commercialised practice in which disturbingly, human body
parts are used to secure political power or extraordinary wealth. The rituals
reportedly require specific human parts to achieve maximum potency, and the
more parts included, the stronger the concoction is believed to be.
The documentary further revealed that Sierra Leone hosts an astonishing number of ritualistic healers.Some are legitimate, registered traditional practitioners who belong to recognised associations. However, the illicit group, those involved in abductions and human sacrifices, remains a serious menace to communities.
The supply chain is disturbingly efficient: a client approaches a healer
seeking power or riches, receives a prescription of required body parts, agrees
to the deal, and then the hunt begins. When the target is located, the client
is summoned to collect the parts, then pay up. As grim as that sounds, the
documentary keeps exposing these illegal acts committed under the banner of
prosperity.
Here is where irony, and a dash of dark humor, kicked in. Around the 31:36 mark, Idara, the guy in charge of sourcing these parts, says he hopes the good Lord will make their endeavors prosper. He stresses that in all their dealings, they are at God’s mercy. What a contrast. You consult a chief agent of the dark forces, and he insists he relies on the good Lord to bless his horrendous work. That is a joke! If I were a client, I would walk away. What do you mean you need the ultimate good guy for our very bad deeds, right before we commit them? Are you not fully immersed in evil? Are you an intern in witchcraft? Do you blend your masters like this? Is this some kind of double cover ritual, where everyone is covered?
On reflection, it seems many who call themselves healers or witches are just
clueless, disorganized folks with an insatiable hunger for power and quick
money. They lack real knowledge of how these cults supposedly operate. If they
ever learned the deeper, esoteric rules, they might stop claiming the title.
That is why they make ridiculous comments, even while urging clients to
participate in their atrocious schemes.