Endangered civilizations. For rain to fall : the Bagba soothsayers and sorcerers of Burkina Faso

Summary

Bagbas are a brotherhood of soothsayers, the chosen of the gods, who enter into trances during ceremonies and predict the future. They are held in high esteem by the people of northern and western ...

Bagbas are a brotherhood of soothsayers, the chosen of the gods, who enter into trances during ceremonies and predict the future. They are held in high esteem by the people of northern and western Burkina Faso. For the moment at least they have managed to limit the influence of other beliefs. For many people the Bagbas, who act as go-betweens with the divinities, are the only way to gain access to the world of the spirits. Bagbas deal with personal affairs as well as community business in events such as initiation ceremonies, deciding on the location of new crops and "rain making."

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