TO put it bluntly, it is time to decriminalise the practice of Obeah!

That some leaders in the Jamaican Church community should take to the streets demanding that the Government does not consider this long-overdue move begs the question: How seriously should we take some of our religious folks and others of like mind against the backdrop of the many ills plaguing the society at this time, inclusive of suicide, murder, motor vehicle crashes, scamming, and the crass indiscipline that has become all pervasive?

Let’s face it, the criminalisation of Obeah was conjured up by the white plantocracy who feared that such a practice was some form of Voodoo, which is part and parcel of our African ancestry. That is why Obeah was deemed to be and made synonymous with Myalism, which, according to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, is a Jamaican folk religion focused on the power of our ancestors, typically involving drumming, dancing, spirit possession, ritual sacrifice, and herbalism.

The late Professor Rex Nettleford, who was unrepentant in his quest to legitimise aspects of Jamaican cultural heritage which were African based, gave us some memorable moments with his mesmerising choreography influenced by Myal on the stage of the Little Theatre, home of the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) which he co-founded.

According to Wikipedia, “Obeah is a system of spiritual and healing practices developed among enslaved West Africans in the West Indies. Obeah is difficult to define as it is not a single, unified set of practices…Some scholars…have contended that what constitutes Obeah in Jamaica has been constructed by white society, particularly law enforcement. Accordingly, different Afro-Caribbean communities use their own terminology to describe the practice, such as “Science”, among Jamaican Windward Maroons.”

In today’s Jamaica the practice of Obeah is widespread and big business. Obeah men and women are sought out and consulted by people from all strata of the society: teachers, police officers, politicians, scammers, transport operators, hotel workers, business people, you name it. Yes, Obeah pays.

Its use is varied, bringing about positive as well as negative results. In 2011 when I was a candidate for the People’s National Party (PNP) in the general election I was approached by a Haitian gentleman who wanted to know if I would wish to utilise the services of an Obeah man. He told me that he had taken several people to Haiti, including politicians and businessmen, and they had got very good results. Of course, I declined the offer out of fear of being swindled.

However, as a child I recall my mother taking me to a “mother” because I was not doing well in school and was somewhat of a truant. I was a third-former at Cornwall College in the late 50s, having passed the Common Entrance Examination in 1958. I was the only one of two boys in my community of Irwin that was so fortunate, the other student was from a much more privileged home environment. My mother was persuaded that “badmind” people had “obeahed” me because of my academic success, so she needed to get me the necessary protection as well as to get rid of the “duppy” (evil spirit) that had been placed on me.

On arrival at a dwelling off the beaten track in the rural village of south St James called Lamb’s River, I was eventually taken into a small room to be interviewed by the “mother”, who sat at a rickety table scrawling what appeared to be a series of unrecognisable words in an exercise book. She mumbled during her writing in the exercise book that I was a bright boy and that I would be a very successful person and would end up being the top individual in my family.

She then began to tell my mother a convincing story of what ailed me and informed her that I would have to get a “bath”. She prescribed that I get a bottle of oil named “Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding” and that I should rub the oil in the middle of my head every morning before going to school while repeating the 23rd Psalm. I well remember standing in this big pan that was filled with all kinds of bush and potions being drenched by one of the “mother’s” assistants who spoke in tongues telling the duppy to “tek way himself” (my words). Needless to say, the rest is history, because I have not been the worse off after that intervention by my dearly beloved mother (now deceased).

Incidentally, according to a reliable source, the first time in Jamaican history that the term “Obeah” was used in colonial literature was in reference to Nanny of the Maroons, an Akan woman, considered the ancestor of the Windward Maroon community, celebrated for her role in defeating the British and securing a land treaty in 1739 as an “old witch” and a “hagg”.

Obeah was also said to play a critical role in Tacky’s Rebellion (also an Akan), the 1760 conflict that spurred the passage of the first Jamaican anti-Obeah law.

According to Wikipedia, the Obeah Act was passed in Jamaica in 1898 and remains in force today, with a few minor amendments. The Act states that, “A person practising Obeah means any person who, to effect any fraudulent or unlawful purpose, or for gain, or for the purpose of frightening any person, uses or pretends to use any occult means, or pretends to possess any supernatural powers or knowledge.” It goes on to say that, “Every person practising Obeah shall be liable to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for a period not exceeding twelve months, and in addition thereto, or in lieu thereof, to whipping.”

Interestingly, of late, we see a number of television and newspaper advertisements offering to help people with just about any problem they may be encountering primarily relating to love, marriage, health, work, and happiness. These people purporting to be “Indian astrologers” may well be practising some form of Obeah, don’t you think? And if their practice is legal, why not Obeah?

In the meantime the practice of Obeah continues unabated, and it is instructive to note that very few arrests have been made over these many decades, which would suggest that there is a high level of tolerance among the general citizenry. Gone are the days when a bullfrog would turn up at a courthouse with a padlock in its mouth signalling that a case was headed for acquittal. Nowadays, one common practice is that of providing guard rings as a form of protection. Many known criminals, dancehall artistes, and police officers have utilised this service in a bid to stay alive and be successful in their respective careers. In days gone by there were drug stores or dispensaries, as pharmacies were then called, which provided a wide range of oils and other paraphernalia related to Obeah, including “love powder”, “oil of pem-pem”, “oil of mek him/her go weh or stay” and I could go on.

Some time ago the then Minister of National Security Robert “Bobby” Montague signalled that he had an uncle who was an Obeah man who could possibly do wonders for him if needs be. His parish of St Mary, along with Clarendon and St Thomas, are said to have the best Obeah men.

The hypocrisy surrounding the decriminalisation of Obeah needs to be expunged because, like ganja, it will always be an integral part of the sociocultural environment of Jamaica and perhaps plays a very important role in the economic life of those who apply a little “guzzu” to their everyday activities. In the meantime there needs to be a national debate on this controversial issue. To begin with, Obeah needs to be clearly defined, as oftentimes it is equated with black magic and necromancy.

Against this backdrop the practice of Obeah in modern-day Jamaica needs to be clearly defined, in the same way that the planting and usage of ganja have been treated, for the sake of clarity and unnecessary oppression or misunderstanding among the Jamaican populace, because in the very final analysis Obeah is here to stay, notwithstanding the fact that it involves the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Lloyd B Smith has been involved in Jamaican media for the past 50 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.