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The African Gourmet

The African Gourmet: Explore African Culture & Recipes

One bowl of fufu can explain a war. One proverb can outsmart a drought.
Welcome to the real Africa—told through food, memory, and truth.

Christmas & New Year in Africa

Christmas & New Year Across Africa

Holiday traditions, recipes, and celebrations

Christmas across Africa

Merry Christmas in African Languages

Traditions
Krampus dessert

Krampus's Favorite African Dessert

Recipes
New Year fireworks in Africa

How Africa Celebrates New Year

Celebrations
Black eyed pea casserole

New Year's Black Eyed Pea Casserole

Luck & Prosperity

FOOD PROVERBS

African Food Proverbs

Culinary wisdom passed down through generations

African food sayings and proverb

Best Ten African Food Sayings & Proverbs

Culinary Wisdom
Meat stew representing animal wisdom

Honoring Animal: African Wisdom of Thankfulness

Gratitude
Diverse hands placing food on shared table

Bring Something to the Table

Community
Lemon varieties representing spice of life

6 African Proverbs That Will Spice Up Your Cooking

Transformation

Exercising Ancestral Authority: How Oba Ewuare II Broke Juju Oaths

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📁 African Folktales 📁 African Heritage 📁 African Science Folklore

Exercising Ancestral Authority: How Oba Ewuare II Broke Juju Oaths

Supernatural contracts, rather than relying on a lawyer and a pen, often use rituals and personal items such as a lock of hair or a drop of blood. Breaking a legal contract may cost you money, but breaking a magical contract is believed to bring terrible consequences — illness, disaster, even death — enforced by a spirit or deity.

West African woman looking up in joy, symbolizing freedom from a juju curse
The Power to Break a Juju Curse

What Are Juju Curses?

A juju curse is a form of West African spiritual contract — an unbreakable promise enforced by a terrifying threat. It can act like psychological control or hypnotic suggestion: a trafficker or corrupt priest implants absolute fear, convincing victims that escaping will invite supernatural punishment.

The victim’s own belief becomes the jailer. Understanding how African traditional beliefs about oaths and curses shaped trafficking is key to breaking their power.

Artwork symbolizing the reversal of a curse
How a King's Reverse Curse Freed Victims

Breaking the Unbreakable Oath

Before being sent to Europe, trafficking victims were often forced to swear oaths during secret rituals. They surrendered hair, nails, or drops of blood, believing these objects tied their fate to the traffickers. The oath warned: “If you run or speak, disaster will strike you or your family.” This fear kept people compliant even when escape was possible.

The Oba’s Counter-Curse

In 2018, Oba Ewuare II, traditional ruler of the Benin Kingdom, made history. Using his authority, he issued a public counter-curse against traffickers and corrupt priests.

What the Decree Did

  1. Nullified existing oaths, freeing victims from fear.
  2. Placed a new curse on traffickers, promising that their evil would return threefold.
Symbolic image representing freedom from psychological control
Breaking the Cycle of Fear

Freedom from Fear

With the Oba’s blessing, victims felt safe to run, speak, and seek justice. Reports from Edo State showed a sharp decline in trafficking, while perpetrators — more afraid of the Oba’s curse than of prison — saw their networks crumble.

Purple background with silhouette symbolizing release from bondage
Justice Stronger Than Fear

The Power to Break a Juju Curse

Juju oaths trapped people because they weaponized deeply held cultural beliefs. Oba Ewuare II used tradition for justice — proving that spiritual authority, when wielded with integrity, can free people from exploitation.

Related Reading (on The African Gourmet)

Ritual Connection: Read how witchcraft, fear, and inherited ritual shape identity in Night Running in Africa: Tribal Art, Witchcraft, or Sadism .

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About the Author

A Legacy Resource, Recognized Worldwide

For 19 years, The African Gourmet has preserved Africa's stories is currently selected for expert consideration by the Library of Congress Web Archives, the world's premier guardian of cultural heritage.

Trusted by: Wikipedia • Emory University African Studies • University of Kansas • University of KwaZulu-Natal • MDPI Scholarly Journals.
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Recipes as Revolution

Recipes as Revolution

When food becomes protest and meals carry political meaning

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African woman farmer

She Feeds Africa

Before sunrise, after sunset, seven days a week — she grows the food that keeps the continent alive.

60–80 % of Africa’s calories come from her hands.
Yet the land, the credit, and the recognition still belong to someone else.

Read her story →

To every mother of millet and miracles —
thank you.

Working Hands of Africa

The labor and love that feeds a continent

Hands holding African fruit

African Culture & Traditions

Harvest & Heritage
Hands preparing fufu

How Fufu Explains Politics

Food & Power
Farming hands in Africa

Slow Food Disappearance

Farming & Tradition
Hands with plantains

The Universal Plantain

Cooking & Community

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African Gourmet FAQ

Archive Inquiries

Why "The African Gourmet" if you're an archive?

The name reflects our origin in 2006 as a culinary anthropology project. Over 18 years, we've evolved into a comprehensive digital archive preserving Africa's cultural narratives. "Gourmet" now signifies our curated approach to cultural preservation—each entry carefully selected and contextualized.

What distinguishes this archive from other cultural resources?

We maintain 18 years of continuous cultural documentation—a living timeline of African expression. Unlike static repositories, our archive connects historical traditions with contemporary developments, showing cultural evolution in real time.

How is content selected for the archive?

Our curation follows archival principles: significance, context, and enduring value. We preserve both foundational cultural elements and timely analyses, ensuring future generations understand Africa's complex cultural landscape.

What geographic scope does the archive cover?

The archive spans all 54 African nations, with particular attention to preserving underrepresented cultural narratives. Our mission is comprehensive cultural preservation across the entire continent.

Can researchers access the full archive?

Yes. As a digital archive, we're committed to accessibility. Our 18-year collection is fully searchable and organized for both public education and academic research.

How does this archive ensure cultural preservation?

Through consistent documentation since 2006, we've created an irreplaceable cultural record. Each entry is contextualized within broader African cultural frameworks, preserving not just content but meaning.