Devon Dick
ON SATURDAY, a relative, Millicent Maxwell, a Jamaican who has lived in England for 40 years, told me that "obeah is in the mind". She related that while in England "things happen" that, in Jamaica, would have been attributed to obeah but was not so blamed in England.
Millicent was unaware of my article on decriminalising obeah (May 24) or the response of Dr. Stewart. This Christian lady was sharing her views because the day before, there was the story of an 8-year girl from Angola who was abused by Sebastian Pinto, his sister, and another relative. These three British Christians were brutish with this girl, who they claimed was a witch. They rubbed pepper in her eyes in order to deal with the 'witchcraft' etc. and planned to kill the witch. So prevalent is this practice by Christians that the police have a special squad code-named "Operation Violet" to deal with such cases.
What is happening here is that once people come from Africa they are stigmatized as having demons. My parish of birth has also been stigmatized. Last week, a lady told me that on her first visit to St. Thomas she was told not to laugh at people from St. Thomas because they will obeah you and turn your mouth behind you.
EXPORT COMMODITY
In addition, on Saturday, The Gleaner reported that a 30-year-old Jamaican man in Bermuda blamed his rape crimes on someone obeahing him from Jamaica. The defence lawyer raised the issue about her client being aggravated by obeah. The Jamaican obeah is an export commodity! Does Dr. Stewart believe those things?
Another matter, the scriptures quoted by Dr. Stewart do not support his claim that obeah should not be decriminalised. In fact, the apostles did not ask for sorcery and divination to be a criminal offence (Acts 8 & 16). So why not follow the apostles' teaching and practice? Let the power of the Holy Spirit deal with obeah! Not the law!
Furthermore, nowhere in the Bible is obeah mentioned. What Dr. Stewart did was to offer an interpretation. I interpret the Bible differently and my example is from 1 Corinthians 8, where some Christians were worried about eating meat that had been offered to idols. Paul told them that idols are "nothing". However, the weak Christians did not understand that and feared idols. Obeah is just like an idol.
Stewart chided me for quoting a bunch of scholars. However, since I am not a former obeahman, never met a practitioner of obeah, or heard a testimony of one who visited a balm yard, I have to rely on documents and oral history. I notice that he did not quote a source for his definition of obeah, so how did he come by such knowledge?
I have heard stories about obeah. A retired Baptist pastor related that no remedy could be found for a very ill girl until the obeahman came and removed something from the yard. She got better. This would seem to suggest that Dr. Stewart is right in claiming that obeah has powers.
However, a relative told me that a student of United Theological College went to the obeahman to ensure success. He did well academically, but is no longer in the pastoral ministry. This would suggest that obeah has limited powers.
OBEAH A TRICK?
Finally, a member of Boulevard Baptist Church told me that while she was a registered nurse, an obeahman was admitted to the hospital where she worked and, ironically, his clients would visit him while he was in hospital to get help. Asking him what he does, he claimed that he mixed some Andrews Liver salts in water and the 'fizz' made the people believe that he was doing something miraculous. Another member related how a former co-worker believed in obeah and went as far as to bring the obeahman into the workplace to ensure her safety. This lady and others knew of the staff member's belief in and fear of obeah and decided to make fun of the matter. They used coloured powder paint and made three circles, each with the mark of the cross, on the ground in front of her office. The co-worker refused to enter the office and called in her obeahman again. All this would suggest that obeah is a trick.
Persons claim different things about obeah. The Europeans did not understand obeah and were afraid of the 'power' these obeahmen had over the enslaved Africans. For a similar reason drumming was outlawed in the Jamaican church! How much do we understand?
I maintain that someone who practises or promotes obeah or consults obeah should not be arrested. Instead, witness to and pray with them. Even Simon the sorcerer believed and was baptized.
The Rev .Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church and author of 'Rebellion to Riot: the Church in Nation Building'.
