The Enduring and Stigmatized Caribbean Obeah Tradition

Why does the often maligned Caribbean obeah tradition endure?

The practice, which merges pre-Abrahamic African religion, Christianity, and indigenous Caribbean features, has been stigmatised in the region • Don’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Babus, Fakis, Sangomas – these are a few of the names of spiritual or mystical healers and practitioners found all across the African continent. A version of the tradition they follow, obeah, made its way to the Caribbean among enslaved populations, from West Africa. Today, obeah endures, ...

By Nesrine Malik