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To me Obeah is synonymous to Vodoo, do you agree?
We know the role these religions play in Queen Nanny's as well as Tacty's and Toussaint revolutions respectively to free their people.
Although few people believe in Obeah in the cities, the practitioners have to come to Kingston to stock up on the potions and products they need.
One small chemist in downtown Kingston has most of the regular goods you would expect to see for sale. But it also has some surprising items on the shelves at the back: rows of candles, soaps and sprays called "go away evil", and potions that claim to either attract a new partner or stop an existing one from leaving.
"The Obeah man or woman send them here with a shopping list; we're like a pharmacist," says shopkeeper Jerome, who says he does not believe in Obeah.
But over the years the popularity of Obeah has waned and finding Obeah men and women to reveal what they do is rare.
People who use them, rarely want to talk openly about it. Many of the pharmacists who sell the paraphernalia refused to talk on the record and did not want to be identified.
Customers will mostly ignore questions about their Obeah purchases. But one young woman says she is after something that will "tie" her man, to stop him running off with other women.
"It was something my grandmother believed in. It worked then and it works now," she says.
But repealing the legislation will be tough. The Church associates Obeah with evil, others believe it is used to defraud vulnerable people, and many Jamaicans believe parliament has more important things to be getting on with, like tackling crime or improving the economy.
It is a sentiment shared by former Prime Minister Edward Seaga. He is an expert in Jamaican anthropology, and does not believe decriminalisation would make a difference.
"People don't consider it criminal. I don't remember the last time someone was arrested," he says
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-23166213
We know the role these religions play in Queen Nanny's as well as Tacty's and Toussaint revolutions respectively to free their people.
Although few people believe in Obeah in the cities, the practitioners have to come to Kingston to stock up on the potions and products they need.
One small chemist in downtown Kingston has most of the regular goods you would expect to see for sale. But it also has some surprising items on the shelves at the back: rows of candles, soaps and sprays called "go away evil", and potions that claim to either attract a new partner or stop an existing one from leaving.
"The Obeah man or woman send them here with a shopping list; we're like a pharmacist," says shopkeeper Jerome, who says he does not believe in Obeah.
But over the years the popularity of Obeah has waned and finding Obeah men and women to reveal what they do is rare.
People who use them, rarely want to talk openly about it. Many of the pharmacists who sell the paraphernalia refused to talk on the record and did not want to be identified.
Customers will mostly ignore questions about their Obeah purchases. But one young woman says she is after something that will "tie" her man, to stop him running off with other women.
"It was something my grandmother believed in. It worked then and it works now," she says.
But repealing the legislation will be tough. The Church associates Obeah with evil, others believe it is used to defraud vulnerable people, and many Jamaicans believe parliament has more important things to be getting on with, like tackling crime or improving the economy.
It is a sentiment shared by former Prime Minister Edward Seaga. He is an expert in Jamaican anthropology, and does not believe decriminalisation would make a difference.
"People don't consider it criminal. I don't remember the last time someone was arrested," he says
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-23166213
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