Occult Practices Against Crime in Mali

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the intrusion of sustainable local occultism in the fight against crime based on surveys conducted in Bamako and elsewhere in the country. Belief in occult local practices is still enduring among both offenders and police forces. Our field research permitted to identify some of its often incompatible manifestations with the principles of the Criminal Procedures Code of Mali, on which people place their trust. Almost the majority of the Malian people resort to them to settle some conflict situations in a context of crisis of confidence between populations and the official squads of crime repression. These local practices often interfere with police investigations in various forms (personal protection, search for possible leads for investigation, success in the profession, and more). Despite the risks, police officers and local occultists often work together informally though in the field of police investigations for the fight against criminality.