For Burkina Faso, I read Of Water And The Spirit: Ritual, Magic, and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman by Malidoma Patrice Somé. When I finished this book yesterday, I gave it 3/5 stars on Goodreads (rounding up from a 2.5) but the more I think about it, the more I like it. I’ve already revised my Goodreads rating to 4/5 and who knows where I’ll be in another month.

This book is a spiritual memoir. Malidoma was born in Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) as a member of the Dagara tribe. When he was four years old, he was abducted by a Jesuit priest and taken to live at a nearby missionary school. There were, however, hints in the memoir that Malidoma’s father gave the green light to his abduction, and according to Wikipedia, Malidoma’s father took him to a Jesuit boarding school. Perhaps Malidoma later modified his story? Either way, Malidoma’s years at the boarding school were traumatizing and both emotionally and physically abusive.

While at the boarding school, Malidoma was forced to learn French and stop speaking his native Dagara. As an adolescent, he was transferred to the seminary to train to be a priest where he endured more physical and emotional abuse and sexual abuse as well. At about the age of twenty, Malidoma rebelled, escaped the seminary, and walked home over a hundred miles to his home village. Through the African bush. I cannot even imagine.

Except I can imagine what it was like to walk through the African bush because Malidoma did an excellent job of describing the setting throughout the book. I could really visualize his tribal village, the missionary school, the seminary, and the African bush.

Fun fact: As a woman born and raised in California, I think of the African bush as “wilderness” but the members of the Dagara tribe refer to the city as “wilderness.” Just one of the many ways that this book reminded me the two much of life is about our personal experiences and perspective.

Malidoma made it back to his village, but he had forgotten his native tongue and could not speak with his parents. Fortunately, his sister could speak some rudimentary French and with time, Malidoma remembered Dagara. However, he was not welcomed with open arms by his entire tribe. The elders were concerned that Malidoma, now literate, did not belong and would upset the balance of village life. He had also missed the male initiation rites that happen in the bush during adolescence. After much agonizing and reflection, the elders decided that Malidoma could participate in the initiation rites–although they warned that as a man in his twenties, the experience might break him.

Malidoma decided to participate in the initiation rites, and he described these in great detail. My Western beliefs were very prickly during these passages, and I often had to remind myself that to an outsider, my beliefs might seem pretty crazy. If I believe in miracles like Jesus turning water into wine, why should I criticize the things that Malidoma believed happened during his invitation rites? (For example, that he jumped through an animal skin into another dimension.)

Except sometimes, maybe we need to accept that beliefs vary wildly throughout the world but we are also allowed to challenge these beliefs so humanity can grow and change and improve.

I believe there are infinite ways to experience spirituality and connect with the divine. Although there is no RIGHT way to practice spirituality, there are ways that can be wrong–and there were some elements in Malidoma’s book that raised some serious red flags for me. Most obviously, Malidoma participated in initiation rites with adolescent boys from other villages and four of the boys died. FOUR. I am trying to accept and embrace the fact that we all have different beliefs, and I’m coming from a Western bias, but if four adolescents at the local Catholic school died during their confirmation, I would be raising hell.

Another red flag: when Malidoma returned to his village, the elders were concerned that he would be a bad influence on the community because he could read and write. Literacy was perceived as evil. Again, I know I’m coming from a Western bias here, but it seemed like the elders were worried that literacy would introduced new ideas to the young and that could upset the patriarchy. Malidoma’s memoir described a spirituality that seemed to support a seriously patriarchal society and I often found myself wanting to hear from the female members of the Dagara tribe. Do they connect with the tribe’s beliefs in the same way as Malidoma? Do they have their own initiation rites? Do they feel uplifted and inspired by their beliefs or are they stifled and smothered by village life?

Ultimately, I’m really glad I picked Of Water And The Spirit for my Read Around the World quest. As I continue to think about this book, I feel myself pulled by two competing concerns: (1) respecting the beliefs of people who live in a community completely foreign to me; and (2) challenging beliefs that might be oppressive to some members of a community. Or, perhaps I am dealing with two personal and competing concerns: (1) my inherent people pleaser, who does not want to offend anyone, and (2) my inner voice that wants to challenge inequities and the status quo.

And this is why I’m obsessed with this project. With each book, I feel my soul and mind expanding.