The King Of Benin Becomes Active Against Human Trafficking From Nigeria: Role Of Juju In Human Trafficking

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, convened a meeting in front of his palace in Benin City on March 9, 2018. The Oba is the ruler of the former kingdom Benin, today an empire among the Edo speaking peoples in the south-west of today's Nigeria (ie Edo State). The title is hereditary and the Oba is credited with supernatural powers, he is the supreme authority of all juju activities in Edo State. Present were all Chiefs from Edo State, juju priests and healers, and Nigerian journalists.

Excursus: What is Juju?

Juju is a colloquial term for practices of "traditional" religions of West Africa. The individual religions usually have no name and are often grouped under the umbrella term juju, also due to the increased influence of Christian churches, but in their manifestation they differ depending on the region and context. Oba Ewuare II said he wanted to do something about Edo State's trafficking in human beings, as he would have seen his compatriots, especially women, suffer while serving as a Nigerian ambassador to Italy. He blames the traffickers (so-called "Madames" and their helpers) and the juju priests who are involved in it.

Excursus: The role of Juju in human trafficking

Before people, especially young women, are brought from Edo State in Nigeria via traffickers to Europe, they almost always take a oath to a juju shrine. It serves to make the victims swear never to talk about the whole procedure, not to reveal the names of the Madame (female pimp) and the tugs and repay their debts to the Madame.

These are sums of money from 25,000 to 60,000 euros. Most of these debts are spent on forced prostitution in Europe, where they earn about 10-30 euros per suitor. Often these women are only revealed in Europe that they are trapped in prostitution and can not work as promised, in an afro shop or, for example, as a hairdresser. If the oath is broken, threatens the perception of the victims great danger. You get sick, you can not have children, you go crazy and your own family is threatened.

The fear of the consequences of breaking this oath is so great that the affected victims have been proven to suffer from the most severe psychosomatic complaints. Coupled with post-traumatic stress disorder arising after forced prostitution and other experiences of violence, the lives of the victims are threatened and they usually need years of psychotherapeutic and medical treatment.

The Oba, with the help of some juju priests, conducted a ritual on March 9, 2018, which is designed to lift any oaths that have a negative impact on victims of trafficking. For this he used an object called Ososomaye. It is said that this object was not brought out of the royal palace for 400 years and is thus particularly powerful. Juju kingdom activities are usually secret, so it is not known how this juju works. The ritual and the address of the Oba were broadcast live on the Internet.

The Oba is the supreme authority on juju in Edo State, and its jujus (or Royal) are above all other juju activities. Perhaps this can be compared to a Pope's decree. He also called on all persons involved in trafficking to cease their activities with immediate effect. If someone does not stick to it, the curses that were previously on the victims will be redirected to the perpetrators. He also called for victims to seek help on the ground in Europe and to give the names of the perpetrators to the police without having to fear negative consequences from juju. The population of Edo State should also look out for perpetrators and report them to him. Those who do not follow their instructions will be threatened with death.

In my Master's thesis ("Never you run away" - The motive of Mami Wata in West Africa, 2012, LMU Munich), I dealt extensively with the pressure instrument juju-oath and I would have never dared to think that the Oba himself in this form turns. From an ethnological point of view, this is an extraordinary event. Nevertheless, one can not foresee what lasting effects this will have.

By Lena Sanjuanelo Garcia M.A. Ethnology LMU Munich

Translated by Francis Tawiah (Duisburg - Germany)