The next day I went to the home of the deceased to pay my respects. The old man was buried a few days prior and things seemed fairly normal, if a bit subdued in the compound of several mud huts around a mango tree.
As I sat with the family, listening as they switched between French, Lingala and Kizande I caught on to them talking about a strange occurrence the night before. Upon my enquiry in French, they went monolingual for me so I could keep up. It seems the previous night a woman "possessed by a devil" was brought from a neighbouring village for help. The man's home we were at is a very devout Christian and a member high up in the local Catholic church, so his response surprised me. He said that they took some leaves and herbs from the forest and forced them into her nose, which has an effect on the nervous system and calmed her down. I asked if anyone ever prayed for possessed people, he said it depended on what type of possession it was.
So, turns out the haunting voice echoing from the jungle was also keeping tired mourners from sleep.
That said, I stick to my statement: May I never sleep through human suffering. Let it always jar my soul.
As I sat with the family, listening as they switched between French, Lingala and Kizande I caught on to them talking about a strange occurrence the night before. Upon my enquiry in French, they went monolingual for me so I could keep up. It seems the previous night a woman "possessed by a devil" was brought from a neighbouring village for help. The man's home we were at is a very devout Christian and a member high up in the local Catholic church, so his response surprised me. He said that they took some leaves and herbs from the forest and forced them into her nose, which has an effect on the nervous system and calmed her down. I asked if anyone ever prayed for possessed people, he said it depended on what type of possession it was.
So, turns out the haunting voice echoing from the jungle was also keeping tired mourners from sleep.
That said, I stick to my statement: May I never sleep through human suffering. Let it always jar my soul.
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welling tears
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