Page 58 - 10th Annual International Charles Town Maroon Conference and Festival Magazine

June 2018 Charles Town Maroon International Conference Magazine

many religions that significantly came into being after Debon Panton is a Management
people all across Africa were already engaging with, and IT Consultant, music
producer, independent musician,
and worshiping, the Divine. traditional Yoruba Spiritualist
and Nature lover. He is currently
Furthermore, there is no evidence that these altars and undertaking post-grad studies in
the Faculty of Humanities and
sacrifices had anything to do with ‘criminals’? They Education UWI Mona in their
could just as well be used by ordinary people in that Cultural Studies program. Debon
community. serves as a member of the Board
of Directors for the Jamaica
After all, Obeah is practiced not only in remote and Association of Composers,
impoverished communities, it is also practiced in Authors and Publishers (JACAP).
middle-class society. Many Caribbean people of all
backgrounds visit Obeah-men—to be protected by Works Cited
their blessings, beads, necklaces, and other good luck “Eucharist.” Wikipedia, 9 Mar. 2018. Wikipedia,
charms. Politicians discreetly visit them during their https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eucharist
political campaigns; business people and other profes- &oldid=829520783.
sionals, some of whom are Christians, seek their IQRAA International :: The Ritual Sacrifice of Eid
spiritual baths for protection. Al-Adha. http://iqraa.com/en/news/1567/The-ritual-
sacrifice-of-Eid-alAdha. Accessed 8 Mar. 2018.
Finally, it is the case that the idea of our Afrikan The Kaparot Ceremony - High Holidays.
Spiritual practices being evil, was savagely beaten into https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/9895
the bodies and minds of our Ancestors, in order to get 85/jewish/Kaparot.htm. Accessed 8 Mar. 2018.
them to convert to Christianity and abandon their
original African Spiritual practices. We need to stop
perpetuating these attacks and respect the ways of our
Ancestors whose resilience and refusal to die, whose
deep spiritual understandings resulted in us being here
today.

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