Marabouts Culture
Field Research
in Gambia.
Welcome to the Republic of the Gambia, where the ancient wisdom of Marabouts shapes the fabric of the local communities. Throughout my field research, I aimed to discover a culture where spirituality and society intertwine. My in depth interviews and field research bring to light the multifaceted roles these spiritual leaders play within the Gambian communities, from healers and teachers to counselors and beyond.
Explore the wide range of impact of Marabout culture on Gambian society through the eyes of locals and the Marabouts themselves within this traditional yet actively evolving spiritual practice.
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Traveling to Gambia to uncover the truth, I found that it was similar to Korea’s traditional religion of Shamanism. Through various interviews, I explored both religions’ true nature, as well as comparing and contrasting the two religions.
The interviews with the Imams, Marabouts, and citizens seek to uncover the various perspectives and aspects of Gambian witchcraft, touching on its impact politically, economically, and socially within the Gambian community.
An exploration of Korean Shamanism through the lens of professors, experts, and shamans. Interviews with the experts provide significant insight about topics regarding the Korean Shamanism’s history, impact, and unique characteristics.
Utilizing the insights and perspectives found through the interviews, a comparison was made between Korean Shamanism and Gambian witchcraft. Specifically, the comparison delved into the similarities and differences of the practices and behaviors of both religions.
A documentary exploring the nature of Gambian Witchcraft (Marabout). Using the interviews that Gio conducted and videos that he took in Gambia, he organized his findings regarding Gambian Marabouts into a documentary.
One research paper explores the specific and unique characteristics of African witchcraft with a specific focus on Gambian witchcraft. Another research paper focuses on the comparison of Gambian Witchcraft and Korean Shamanism, exploring the similarities and differences of the practices, behaviors, and impacts of the two religions.
A gathering of resources that anyone can access regarding Interfaith opportunities, products, and education.
Project Overview
My project is focused on comparing The Gambia’s vigorous witchcraft culture to the influential Shamanism practices in Korea. I got an opportunity to travel to The Gambia to research witchcraft practices, especially delving into the social aspect of it through the positive and negative influences that it has had in the community. Additionally, through interviews in Korea, I was able to investigate and research more about the shamanism practices in Korea and the effects that it has had on the Korean community. My goal is to find the parallels between the witchcraft practices in Africa and shamanism practices in Korea, and finding out the similar patterns that it follows in the religion and social landscape.