Should the Jamaican Government Repeal the Bumboclaat Obeah Law?

The Jamaican Culture comprises so many aspects namely our food, music, language, dance, fashion, and the list continues. Other aspects linger behind the backdrop of this diverse yet unique culture and these include homosexuality and Obeah. Nevertheless, LGBT activists are actively defending and are seeking to increase the tolerance level of traditional Jamaicans. There is Obeah, raising its bumboclaat head in the minds of policymakers who are considering repealing the Obeah law in the name of honoring ‘West African Ancestry’. Obeah may be defined as a system of mystical, occultic practices that uses spiritism to cast spells, omens, curses.

It uses objects, animals, and evil spirits in an attempt to manipulate and modify events, situations, and behaviour of people. It is intended to instill fear, neutralize alleged or potential harm to a person, and/or guarantee harm and destruction. The legalizing of Obeah seems to be another display of the Bumboclaat Willie Lynch Syndrome but in this case not via race but through interpersonal battles which individuals face on a daily basis. It also goes to highlight the hypocrisy of the so-called patriotic government body, oppositions, you too, by going against the plea within the National Anthem.

Though Obeah in Jamaica is practiced by all economic classes for various reasons; be it wealth accumulation, healing among others, it is famously practiced for killing and making others ill. The Willie Lynch syndrome sought to cause rivalry among the black slaves in Virginia in the 1700’s by mentally pitting them against each other by way of allowing some lighter coloured slaves the privileges of working close to the slave master (like housekeeping) and those of a darker complexion to perform more menial tasks (cotton picking).

Obeah isn’t really far from this bumboclaat syndrome whereas it also serves as a tool of bumboclaat mental and physical demise. The Jamaica Observer gives examples of Obeah being used to harm individuals who were in some sort of rivalry. It makes mention of a lady who owed some money for a vehicle and did not pay the seller so she (the seller) went to an Obeah practitioner who then summoned a rolling calf (evil) to follow the lady (debtor). It is also used to ‘tie’ individuals in relationships; toxic ones at that via the Oil of Leave Mi Not.

Though West African traditions are entrenched in the Jamaican culture today, for example, Jonkunoo, folklore dances, and the Justice Minister wants to embrace the West African Roots by repealing the Obeah act, must I make mention of the Afro-centric female circumcision, cannibalism, veneration of the dead and lip plates. So, must these be repealed too? There must be some distinction between what is culture and what is evil and those that are evil should not be passed on to children and other generations.

The National Anthem serves as a prayer unto the Lord for strength, guidance, and protection. Specifically, the line that states ‘Keep Us FREE from Evil Powers.’; one of the most humble requests on the behalf of the Jamaican people. Yet still, the leaders seem to be seeking to legalize evil, inviting it into our presence for it to kill and destroy people’s lives via sicknesses, or by extension, death. What bumboclaat hypocrites we have posing as patriots of Jamaica! The National Anthem, being a prayer goes to show that even though, it was the religion of the slave masters and the colonizers, we held on to and still offer worship and praise unto the Lord.

However, the government, the leaders of the nation, seem to be willing to turn their backs on His Word which states in Leviticus 20:6:

— I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.

And Deuteronomy 18: 10-12: 

— Let no one be found among you who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.

The Government might want to reevaluate other aspects of the culture like our bumboclaat Jamaican identity especially among the millennials who are influenced by the American Culture promoted on social media daily. In a couple of decades from now, we may no longer be able to identify as Jamaican because technology may possibly erase the most important aspects of our culture and it seems these aspects aren’t necessarily being passed down to the younger generation.

Has the Bumboclaat nation become so immune to crime and violence that there are no new laws and sanctions being created to punish perpetrators but there are considerations to open the portal of evil?