Spirit-worshipper rejoices
at finding ‘the true light’

ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire — Albert was once a high-ranking policeman. Hungry for power, he sacrificed his honesty and used the power which he believed his fetish gods gave him in order to obtain it. Now he has put all that firmly behind him, recognising the sovereign power of God alone.

n Albert: testified publicly

Fetishism involves the traditional belief in the world of spirits and the use of them and of items such as a piece of fur or bone supposedly invested with magical properties to gain power, which can be used for good or evil.

Albert began to get involved in fetishism when he was a soldier. When he left the army he joined the police force and began to travel abroad. Although he had personally encountered Jesus, he became so caught up in his use of magic that the power of Christ seemed mild compared with what he could do in the name of the pagan spirits.

“I used to travel all over the place consulting famous witchdoctors and sorcerers – what we call ‘marabouts’,” he says, “and that is how I obtained my powers: I could catch a man by the arm and he became weak, I could stop a bullet from hitting me; or I could disappear and no one would find me.

“If there was a theft I could use a powder – made from the body of a strangled chameleon – to sprinkle on the place where it had taken place and I would immediately know where the crooks were hiding. I caught many that way, using the power of fetishes.” Not surprisingly, Albert became well known for his ability to solve cases.

Taking money

“That is why they got me to travel,” he says. “When I went to Europe I took my fetish powers with me and used them there. I got involved in dishonest practices, making false identity cards, taking state money and using it for myself, among other things.”

Before long, to his shame, the means behind his apparent ‘success’ was exposed.

“The day I returned to Côte d’Ivoire I was arrested by another policeman who had heard about what I was doing. He was a Christian and he said to me: ‘I am arresting you in the name of Jesus who has helped me to know what you are doing.’ I felt literally paralysed – unable to respond or do anything. I admitted my offences and spent four months and 20 days in prison.”

The experience led him to Christianity but after a period out of work he fell into fetishism once more.

“It is difficult to erase the habits of a lifetime,” he says. “These were part of my background, they came from the beliefs of my grandparents and parents.”

The turning point came when some helpful pastors showed him how to read the Bible in order to strengthen his faith.

“This church is a Bible-based church,” says Albert. “They care for you in many ways here. They will not allow you to fall by the wayside, to return to your old ways. Here you know that if you do not come to church or attend weekday Bible Study, there are people who will start praying for you.