My friend Diallo is a marabout—a fortune teller and witchdoctor. He recently told me very frankly that his line of work is not compatible with his Muslim faith. He said he is looking for another job because the work of a marabout leads him to violate many religious principles and makes him unwelcome among many conservative Muslims.

Listening to Diallo, I sense that he is not at ease in the community. He is from Niger and speaks a slightly different form of Dendi. He has been living in Kandi for the past seven years and recently lost his wife. Diallo is very open to religious things and has prayed with us twice.

In one of our discussions, I asked Diallo to explain the challenges of his work as a marabout. He told me that, in West Africa, marabouts are considered to have multiple powers. They can heal sickness and restore social harmony with the use of charms. Though orthodox Islam preaches against marabouts, many people trust them, especially women.

Diallo explained that marabouts must collaborate with spirits to gain knowledge and divination. But the more powerful a marabout becomes, the more challenging his relationship with the spirits. Marabouts must learn everything they can about their spirits—their names, where they live and their likes and dislikes—to manipulate them to grant requests. Diallo told me most of the spirits he works with live in the ocean, and it is not always easy to call upon them. He confided that when a client makes a request on short notice, sometimes he cannot get anything from his spirits and must lie and make up his answers.

Even more than social acceptance, Diallo yearns to be free of the many demands of the spirits and to lead a consistent spiritual life. I am praying for God’s guidance in how to help Diallo. Please pray for him and for me as we have more discussions in the future.

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