I have no doubt that if someone were to walk up to you on the street and ask you, “Do you believe in juju magic?” Your answer would be no.
There could be several reasons for your denial. It could be because you are a Christian; hence, you believe there is no other principality or power apart from the Lord’s. It could be because you are a creature of reason and logic; hence, you refuse to believe in anything you cannot see with your two koro-koro eyes.
Most times, though—and a lot of people, including myself, fall into this category—accepting that juju magic is real means admitting that the world is a larger and scarier place than we know it to be. And it is already scary enough. So why add to it?
Whichever category you fall into, there is no denying that there are inexplicable forces that work in this world, most of them outside our understanding and comprehension. And juju magic, despite the mystery and skepticism surrounding it, is one of them.
MORE IN THIS SERIES:
What is Juju Magic?
Juju magic is simply the type of magic practiced in Africa. It is the belief in mystical powers bestowed by charms, gods, and other deities. Where Europe has Merlin and Morgana, we have Lalude and Iya Gbonkon.
Belief in African traditional religions and juju components is widespread in Nigeria, with many combining them with either Christianity or Islam, according to a 2010 report by the Pew Research Centre. Lots of Nigerians believe that magic charms can allow humans to morph into cats, protect bare skins from sharp blades, and make money appear in a clay pot.
These beliefs are not just held by the uneducated, they exist even at the highest level of Nigeria’s academia.
Dr. Olaleye Kayode, a senior lecturer in African Indigenous Religions at the University of Ibadan, told the BBC that money-making juju rituals, where human body parts mixed with charms result in money spewing out of a pot, really work.
The naira notes that supposedly appear “are gotten by spirits from existing banks”, he told the BBC.
Jude Akanbi, a lecturer at the Crowther Graduate Theological Seminary in Abẹ́òkúta, was also unequivocal about Juju.
“This ability to be able to transform yourself into a cat, to disappear and reappear—these things are possible within the dynamics of traditional African religion. Although [it] sounds illogical, like old wives’ tales, from what we have seen and heard, these things are possible,” he said.
Such beliefs, especially that human body parts and charms can produce money from a clay pot, have led to a recent wave of gruesome murders in the country, with single women often the victims.
SEE: One Chance: The Devil’s Snare
Is Juju Magic Real?
Armed with a sharp knife, and a megaphone and dressed all in black, Gbenga Adewoyin could have passed for a medieval witch hunter, an herbal salesman, or an urban preacher as he walked around a market in the south-western Nigerian city of Ibadan. However, those curious enough to get close to him in the Gbagi market quickly dispersed when they heard his message.
“Anyone that can provide any evidence for the existence of the supernatural, be it juju or voodoo magic, will be offered 2.5 million naira ($6,000, £4,650),” he announced repeatedly in Yoruba and English.
“I feel horrible to see young people engage in these ritual killings,” Adewoyin told the BBC. If the money ritual worked, we would have seen massive inflation in the economy for the decades that we have believed in it.”
He was in Ibadan, Oyo State, on the second of three planned in-country tours offering 2.5 million naira, crowd-funded via Twitter, to anyone who can publicly demonstrate these juju powers.
“The knife is for anyone who claims their juju makes them blade-proof,” he said.
Questioning the existence of supernatural powers is considered taboo in much of Nigerian society. To be openly expressing such thoughts, as Mr. Adewoyin was doing in a market, was risky. He could just as easily be arrested for blasphemy or lynched by an angry mob.
“Of course, Juju works; he doesn’t know what he is saying,” a trader, who lingered with a scowl on his face, said. And while he had in his pocket a small leather pouch containing supposedly magic charms that he said were for protection, he was, however, not interested in publicly demonstrating their powers, not even for $6,000.
While this does sound like the man’s faith in his god was shaky at best, there is no disputing that strange things do happen. There are also several accounts of people who have come into contact with the supernatural in one way or another.
There are also several stories of people using juju magic for several things, like Magun for catching a cheating partner, Odeshi for protection against bullets, rain catchers who prevent rain from falling for a particular period, and other mostly nefarious purposes.
In fact, it is still a widespread belief in several parts of the country that if you want to catch a criminal, all you have to do is make them swear before a deity, mostly Ogun, the Yoruba god of iron, or Amadioha. No doubt this will be a very good way to keep our politicians in line and stop them from embezzling money since they evidently don’t fear the wrath of the Bible. Or maybe help Nigeria win the World Cup, or boost the country’s economy.
But hey! What do I know?
RELATED:
- Magun, The Great Cuckold Killer
- Odeshi – The African Bulletproof: Does It Really Work?
- Understanding Money Laundering in Nigeria And Its Negative Effects
Wrapping Up Juju Magic
Is Juju magic real? Well, I cannot say, because I, just like most people, have never come into contact with it. All of my experiences are merely hearsay and secondhand accounts from various people.
Hence, if you were expecting this post to definitively end with a firm “yes” or “no” about the existence of juju magic, well, sorry. While I might sneer at the sight of people cowering in fear of juju magic and call them superstitious, ultimately, being Nigerian, I know there are some truths I’d rather not find out.
