Obeah, also known as Obiya or Obia, is a broad term for African diasporic religious, spell-casting, and healing traditions prevalent mainly in the former British colonies of the Caribbean. These practices originate largely from West African traditions, with influences from European and South Asian cultures. Many practitioners avoid using the term Obeah because of its negative connotations in many Caribbean societies.
In Jamaica, Obeah has been illegal since the 1760s, when the first law against its practice was enacted. This law was introduced because enslaved people used traditional African rituals to gain strength and solidarity during Tacky’s War, one of the largest slave uprisings in the region. After emancipation in the 1830s, new laws were introduced against Obeah, increasingly portraying it as fraudulent and occult activities.
The Obeah Act of 1898 is still in force in Jamaica, although it was amended in 2013 to remove whipping as a punishment. No prosecutions for Obeah have taken place since the 1970s; however, stigma persists against African healing traditions, Myalism, and Obeah. Since the 1980s, there have been ongoing debates on legalization, citing religious freedom and decolonization efforts. Many Jamaican churches actively campaign against the practice and its legalization. Practitioners report ongoing harassment and occasional arrests by the police, even without prosecution for any crimes.
