By Tariq Tahir
(Filed: 19/06/2005)
The nondescript red-brick block in north London barely warrants a second glance, but inside one of the flats is concealed a bizarre world barely comprehensible to most people.
This is the home of Malcolm Poussaint, a self-styled "voodoo priest" who performs harrowing exorcism rituals on children as young as six whom their parents believe are possessed by demons.
Malcolm Poussaint at his home in Harlesden. He says there is considerable demand for his services
Mr Poussaint sees nothing wrong with what he does. It is, he insists, work that has to be carried out.
"If the child is not exorcised then it will grow up to be horrible. I get results," said the 75-year-old, who is originally from Benin in West Africa.
He is one of scores of exorcists, mystics and psychics offering their services to London's large African community.
The world they inhabit has been thrown open by the recent conviction of Sita Kisanga and her brother, Sebastian Pinto, immigrants from Angola, for the horrific abuse of an eight-year-old orphaned girl they believed to be a witch. The girl's aunt was also convicted for her role in the abuse.
The child was cut with a knife, beaten with a belt and shoe, and had chilli rubbed in her eyes in an ordeal that lasted several weeks.
A disturbing Scotland Yard report also revealed fears that young boys were being brought into Britain from Africa for ritual sacrifice.
Speaking at his flat in the Harlesden area of north-west London, Mr Poussaint insists that exorcism is necessary for children possessed by evil spirits. The girl's tormentors went about their work in the wrong way, but "she was possessed by demons", he said.
Dressed in the white robes he wears during the exorcism, he described to The Sunday Telegraph the ritual the children are subjected to in order to cleanse them of "evil spirits".
He does not advertise but is a well-known figure in the local African community, so recommendations come through word of mouth.
After payment of £70, an initial "consultation" is held with the parents to determine how the child is possessed. Then the child is brought to his flat for the ritual. Mr Poussaint says that if the child is agitated he tells the parents to give it a bath in an effort to make it relaxed.
He is adamant that the children he sees "are possessed" and "look like lost souls". Midday is the best time for exorcisms, he explains, as it is when the spirits are liveliest.
When the child is ready, it is brought into the living room by its parents where Mr Poussaint is waiting, beating a small drum. The room will have been blacked out and on the table a dozen different candles are lit. Dried beans, beads and a bottle with water in it are laid out symbolically for the coming exorcism.
Oil is dabbed on the child's head and Mr Poussaint says he and the parents hold the youngster as they go into a trance, all the time chanting "prayers" for the demons to leave.
"Sometimes the child is shaking because there's a bad spirit in the child. The child sometimes cries and I hold onto the child so the child is not able to move. I will get the mother to hold onto the child so I can send the vibrations across to the child.
"The spirit that is calling to remove that spirit is a good spirit. After the child is relaxed and soothed."
Mr Poussaint says his last exorcism was on a six-year-old boy. "He was having problems and the mother was in a mess herself. She tried to get help but nobody was able to help her. The child was running around, screaming, making noise, acting abnormally, hitting things, hitting people, jumping on the sofa. The spirits were provoking that child. After we did the exorcism he was calm."
Mr Poussaint denies his exorcisms will do any long-term damage to the children. On the contrary, by making the evil spirits leave them, the children will not drift into crime, drugs or violence.
When asked if he ever inflicts violence on children, Mr Poussaint gives an emphatic "No" in response. His customers are only ever satisfied, he claims.
"I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm helping people. There have never been any problems. Once the children get older they are OK. Parents never come back to see me."
Mr Poussaint says there is considerable demand among adults for the services he performs and knows of another 10 so-called "voodoo priests" who are called on to exorcise evil spirits. Among others, people in trouble with the law, seeking promotion at work or wanting to fix broken relationships all seek his help."
He describes how adults attend mass exorcism sessions in rented halls. Those attending stay overnight and many are given what he claims are cleansing baths to rid them of evil spirits. Many become hysterical while others are overwhelmed and faint.
"When I first started going I was frightened myself. These people are acting abnormally because they are possessed by spirits and I help them."
His beliefs and others, such as "kendoki", the belief in witchcraft, are a misunderstood aspect of African culture, Mr Poussaint insists. "British people don't understand it. There has been a lot of animosity towards black people.
www.telegraph.co.uk
