[MUSIC PLAYING]
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: We're in Jamaica, an island known for
its idyllic beaches and stunning natural beauty.
But we're here to find out about something that frankly,
most Jamaicans are uncomfortable talking about.
It's called Obeah, and it's an Afro-Caribbean religion that
has its roots in magic and sorcery.
My co-pilot for this trip is Natalia from Colombia.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: So happy to be here.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Good to see you.
Natalia, tell me about yourself.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: Well, I'm originally
from Bogota, Colombia.
I've been living in Amsterdam for the past couple years.
I work as a media researcher.
I've been looking into communication and
representation of physical suffering in different media.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: So pain.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: Pain and suffering, yeah.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Oh, boy.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: So why are we looking into Obeah?
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: OK, so Obeah is an occult folk religion.
And so it's kind of like voodoo and
Santeria, but it's different.
There's something distinct and Jamaican about it.
There's good aspects of it and then there's kind of evil
aspects of it.
People seem to take it really seriously.
I've read about an Obeah man who was stoned to death by a
mob because he was allegedly casting
curses upon the villagers.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: That's awful.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Yeah.
Well, so people take it really seriously.
So we want to find out, why do people feel threatened by it?
What about it is good?
What about it is evil?
And how does it interface with modern Jamaican culture?
The first place we're going to go is an occult
shop, an Obeah shop.
So it has sort of like the materials and the things that
you need for an Obeah man to do rituals and stuff.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: Sounds exciting.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Yeah, well, honestly, I'm a
little scared, you know?
Like who knows what kind of curses we'll get.
Hopefully good ones.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: Look at this, guys.
The vagina candle.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: The vagina candle.
We found it.
You like the vagina candle?
What about those oils over there?
ONEIL MILES: They have various oils for
various different reasons.
They have fast luck when people think they are not
lucky, and buy the fast luck if they want to have holy man
oil if a woman want her man to come back.
You have oils for almost every reason.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: What do you do with the oil?
You just put it on your body or do you--
is there a ceremony?
Like what is the process?
ONEIL MILES: That's when you go to the Obeah man.
He'll give the instructions.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: So you go to the Obeah man.
ONEIL MILES: Tell him your problem, and with him giving
you the solution, he'll give you like a prescription, like
with the drug--
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Oh, so you're like a drugstore.
You're kind of like a pharmacy.
ONEIL MILES: Right.
So we supply the material that's on the prescription.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: I see.
I see there's sprays up there.
ONEIL MILES: There are sprays, perfumes, holders, oils,
incense, bath, candles, and they go as far as you have
amulets, lucky pendants, things for moving pendants.
OK.
This is the Go Away Evil.
For protection.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: What's the most popular thing people buy?
ONEIL MILES: You have the fastest-selling one.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: This is a fastest-selling one.
ONEIL MILES: Right, Go Away Evil.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: It says Go Away Evil.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: I can't imagine that'd
be the popular one.
ONEIL MILES: And everybody wants money, so money's
another fast-selling one.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: So you truly believe that these things--
ONEIL MILES: I believe.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: You believe.
ONEIL MILES: If I believe?
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Yeah, that's what I'm asking.
ONEIL MILES: Well, I mean, To sell all these products, I
have to believe in them, but I've never actually tried it.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: You've never tried it?
ONEIL MILES: No, I'll spray it, but as I said, it go with
instructions.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Well, so can you tell us where we can find
a really good Obeah man so we can try for ourselves?
ONEIL MILES: Well, when you leave here, you could go down
by Walderston to meet Joseph.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Joseph.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: OK.
Let's go meet Joseph.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: All right.
Let's do it.
Thanks a lot.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: Thank you.
ONEIL MILES: You're welcome.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: All right, Natalia.
It looks like we've driven up a few hours into the interior
of the island.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: Let's go find Joseph.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Maybe I'll ask this guy over here.
Excuse me, do you know where Joseph is?
MAN ON STREET: Joseph?
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Yeah.
You know Joseph?
The Obeah man?
MAN ON STREET: Turn right over here then--
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Right around the gate up there?
Thanks, buddy.
MAN ON STREET: [INAUDIBLE].
NATALIA SANCHEZ: Thank you.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Thank you to you, too.
MAN ON STREET: Turn right for Joseph.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: OK.
All right.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: So it seems we're kind of close.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Yeah.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: OK.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: We're close.
We just got to go the jerk center, and that's where
Joseph the Obeah man will be.
Hey, are you Joseph?
JOSEPH WALDER: Yes, I'm Joseph.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Hey, how you doing?
NATALIA SANCHEZ: Hi.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: So could you take us to your place?
JOSEPH WALDER: Yes, I can [INAUDIBLE].
You're welcome.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Down here?
JOSEPH WALDER: Yes.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: OK, let's go.
Joseph the Obeah man was a handful.
It was really difficult to sort of discern one single
straight line of his sort of philosophy and practice and
thinking, because he just did everything.
I have a really basic question.
Just what is Obeah?
JOSEPH WALDER: Obeah is a thing that-- it originated
long time ago.
And God gave man the privilege to help themselves when they
are in problems.
[INAUDIBLE]
choose different, different race and creed.
Like the Hebrew, no one can go into the Ark of the Kabbalah
and speak certain word and it come to manifested.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: So Obeah, where did it come from?
JOSEPH WALDER: Obeah come from Africa.
Obeah come from Africa.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: What kind of people come
here looking for you?
JOSEPH WALDER: People from all walks of life.
Doctors come here.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Really?
JOSEPH WALDER: Police come here.
Soldiers come here.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: Are you scared to practice?
I know that some Obeah man has been--
JOSEPH WALDER: Killed.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: Have been killed, yes.
How do you feel about-- what do you think about that?
JOSEPH WALDER: Because they are con artists and they take
people money and they don't complete the job.
So they don't know what-- many of them out
there are con artists.
If you want to get genuine science or help, you come to
Jo-Jo, you will get it.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: So you don't think it's because they're
scared of the black magic?
NATALIA SANCHEZ: And because they get, like--
they're--
they steal from people?
JOSEPH WALDER: Yes, and some of them kill people.
Some people come-- for instance, a man carried
$500,000 and put it down there and said Jo-Jo, me want to
kill somebody.
You know what I do to him?
Said take your backside and go out of place.
But now I meet this nice beautiful lady
and I wanted her.
Those Obeah man do something to manipulate it
for she to love you.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: OK.
JOSEPH WALDER: But I don't do that.
I don't force anybody to love.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: So you don't do, like, vagina candle stuff,
or penis candle?
JOSEPH WALDER: No, no, no, no.
I don't have to do-- this is the vagina candle stuff and
the penis stuff.
I use herb to do that.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: OK.
JOSEPH WALDER: I use herb.
And I have this herb even-- many people might not know I
have thing that greater than the doctor.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: You do?
JOSEPH WALDER: Yes, I have thing right in here that is
greater than what the doctor would use.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Have you every seen a demon?
JOSEPH WALDER: Of course.
I have seen many demons.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: What do they look like?
JOSEPH WALDER: They are ugly-looking creatures.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: So wait, OK, so you're saying, you see
things that other people can't see.
JOSEPH WALDER: I see things what other people cannot see.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: But then how did the oils and
your various remedies--
JOSEPH WALDER: Yes, that I use--
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: How do those two things go together?
JOSEPH WALDER: Well, I combinate it
and I bless it up.
Because you have to have books with things to help people.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: So you gotta show us some, some ways to
ward off evil.
You have to show us ways to get--
JOSEPH WALDER: Yes.
To ward off evil.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: I want to see you in action, because if
you're a superhero against evil--
JOSEPH WALDER: Yes.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Let's see what you do.
JOSEPH WALDER: Krishna, Natalia.
Krishna, Natalia.
It's a goat eating a carrot.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: That's nice.
I see--
I really--
JOSEPH WALDER: Something standing there.
That is a spirit.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: (QUIETLY) I'm scared.
JOSEPH WALDER: This one is Eye of Isis.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Eye of Isis, like from Egyptian stuff.
JOSEPH WALDER: Yeah.
Some.
But I have to go back into Egypt to get all my--
I stay right here.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: You stay here, but you go to Egypt.
JOSEPH WALDER: Yes.
I go there.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: That sounds like a--
JOSEPH WALDER: To get information from books.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: From Egyptian--
the Library of Alexandria.
JOSEPH WALDER: I--I, I read this book,
The Book of the Dead.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Uh-huh.
JOSEPH WALDER: Yeah, because--
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Yeah, the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
JOSEPH WALDER: The Egyptian Book of the Dead.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: I really want to see something--
yeah, I see something standing there.
JOSEPH WALDER: Right, that is like a female
carrot and a white hat.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: A white hat?
JOSEPH WALDER: Yes.
But there is a demon behind that spirit.
Look there.
Look.
See the person standing here?
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Uh-huh.
JOSEPH WALDER: Look right here.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: And there's the demon.
JOSEPH WALDER: That's the demon.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: So what does that mean?
JOSEPH WALDER: You guys gonna meet someone.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: OK.
JOSEPH WALDER: Many things that I see in the crystal is
things to come.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Would you come and anoint the car?
JOSEPH WALDER: Yes.
I'm going to anoint the car.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: Awesome.
JOSEPH WALDER: Yes.
I'm going to anoint it.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: I'll open up the hood for you.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: So we're going to have a safe trip.
JOSEPH WALDER: Yes.
I'm going to make you have a safe trip.
That's it.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: At the end of the day, I think he thinks
he's really helping people, and like the people in his
close circle seem to think that he does
good things for people.
The very sort of scatter-shot nature of his whole deal
seemed like he was just try to pull one over on us.
Trying to find people to actually talk to us on camera
about Obeah has been next to impossible.
People will be like, yeah, go down there, take your second
left at the bridge, there's woman there who practices.
But as soon as you're asking them to speak on the record,
they shy up.
And I think that's because it's something you don't want
to fuck with.
We got a tip that there was an Obeah woman who practiced
pretty near where we were.
You know, we took a couple laps, went down into the
interior, tried to find her.
And she came down the stairs from her house, and she was
wearing like this white head wrap.
We asked her, like, are you the Obeah woman?
And she was totally offended by that label.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: And it was like, oh, oh, man.
Joseph, maybe your shit is true.
He had a vision, I guess, in the crystal ball--
a woman with a white hat on.
But behind that woman was a big, black demon.
So I guess that's sort of like the shadowy shit that's behind
the sort of magic and the healing.
It's the demon behind.
That woman was unhappy to be called an Obeah woman.
I guess the stigma is, like, that strong.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: It is really strong.
You have really hard-core real-life consequences.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: It sort of like lurks just like a shadow
over the whole practice.
It's unspoken, but it exists.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: Definitely.
KRISHNA ANDAVOLU: I tell you what, Natalia, it's been such
a distinct pleasure having you join us
for this last adventure.
So I really wanted to thank you.
Thanks for being such a good sport.
NATALIA SANCHEZ: It was amazing.
I got to see a side of Jamaica I would have never seen
otherwise, so thank you.