{"id":1904,"date":"2026-05-30T11:39:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/30\/bound-by-blood-new-film-highlights-jamaicas-outlawed-obeah-belief-system\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T11:39:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:39:41","slug":"bound-by-blood-new-film-highlights-jamaicas-outlawed-obeah-belief-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1904","title":{"rendered":"Bound by blood: new film highlights Jamaica\u2019s outlawed obeah belief system"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"76bfa470-7c71-4727-b9bb-da50df7cbc57\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man and a woman lie in bed together\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/00a562337fbdf886dbb6c84d41055a36810999fe\/1278_0_5100_4084\/master\/5100.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372.36470588235295\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A still from Stew Peas.<\/span> Photograph: Danangelowe &#8220;artboii&#8221; Spencer\/DAJS Visuals 2025<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"76bfa470-7c71-4727-b9bb-da50df7cbc57\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A still from Stew Peas.<\/span> Photograph: Danangelowe &#8220;artboii&#8221; Spencer\/DAJS Visuals 2025<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Bound by blood: new film highlights Jamaica\u2019s outlawed obeah belief system<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Stew Peas focuses on obeah, an enduring African magic practice in Jamaica banned by colonisers in the 1700s<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A new movie from award-winning Jamaican film-maker Sosiessia Nixon shines a spotlight on Jamaica\u2019s enduring west African-based magic and spiritual healing tradition known as obeah.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Nixon\u2019s tense, feature-length suspense, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=42iXg3kn490\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Stew Peas<\/a>, tells of the story of Jamaican detective Tessa, who is obsessed with an old murder case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Tessa\u2019s life begins to fall apart when it becomes clear that her husband, Neil, has fallen under the spell of her new maid, Marcia. The story takes a dark turn with the shocking revelation that Marcia has been adding a secret ingredient to Neil\u2019s food \u2013 her menstrual blood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThis film focuses on the persisting Jamaican obeah belief, that a woman could \u2018bind\u2019 a man in a relationship by serving him a meal of the traditional kidney beans and meat stew, which becomes a potent love portion when her menstrual blood is added,\u201d Nixon said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Nixon hopes the movie will spark a dialogue about the tension between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/christianity\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Christianity<\/a> and obeah, which is rooted in the country\u2019s African heritage and still practised today despite being outlawed by colonisers in the 1700s \u2013 and still illegal today.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe practice of binding a man with stew peas remains very much taboo in Jamaica, and I wanted to open a conversation. I wanted to look at this belief system in depth. Jamaicans often say that belief kills and belief cures, meaning that whatever you believe, that is what is going to happen. So, does this thing really work?\u201d Nixon said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Coming from St Thomas, an idyllic coastal parish on the south-eastern tip of Jamaica, sometimes nicknamed the \u201cobeah parish\u201d, Nixon said she was inspired by actual experiences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cGrowing up in St Thomas, I was very much exposed to a lot of obeah,\u201d Nixon said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Producer and actor, Ava Eagle Brown, who created <a href=\"https:\/\/blackriverfilmfestival.com\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Jamaica\u2019s Black River film festival<\/a>, said the film will resonate with Caribbean people everywhere. \u201cThere is so much of us in this film, the things that make us Jamaican \u2013 especially if you\u2019re in the diaspora \u2026 it brings you back home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Brown, who is also in the film, added: \u201cIt\u2019s probably going to now have some men looking at their woman with suspicion and asking: \u2018What did you put it in my stew peas?\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cBut on a serious level, I told my son to make sure he doesn\u2019t eat any stew peas from any woman!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Sonjah Stanley Niaah, a Jamaican cultural studies scholar and the director for <a href=\"https:\/\/linklock.titanhq.com\/analyse?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.uwi.edu%2Fcrr%2F&amp;data=eJxdjEsKAjEQRE-T7GzCZAzOIgs3Ix6jTQcno-lIPgZvb9wKRUHxHuWsmRdFetJEx9tJkm09xMQInhrsUUb7Ppj1eqmL8qbIYhlrDi4gUGOHLGZ1b5gpIINL0B4y25J4xw1KRX76zzD-Ppvdan0Voc9iWkd67zCUHx7L5Tz6C1eKM4Y%\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">UWI\u2019s Centre for Reparation Research<\/a>, said the stew peas belief is linked to the African view that natural elements, including blood from menstruation, has an inherent potency. The idea, she added, was that the red kidney beans will mask the blood so the man being charmed cannot detect it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Stanley Niaah welcomed the opportunity to explore forms of African spiritualities, which she said are often misunderstood, after being vilified and outlawed by European colonialists who had linked them to resistance and rebellions among enslaved Africans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cPeople in this part of the world are people of African descent and there\u2019s a pantheon of African spirituality that we have in our blood, that we have inherited \u2026 But [today], African spirituality has no attention, no substance, it\u2019s not being taught in schools, we are so afraid of ourselves, we are neglecting it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">She added: \u201cWhat we now have is this very profound, alive and longstanding tension between Christian practices and African spirituality. Enslavement was sanctioned by the church. So, some aspects of the legislative architecture in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/caribbean\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Caribbean<\/a> were certainly driven by the need to have enslaved people not assemble, or gather for any reason, whether to worship their gods or to plan rebellions. This legislative architecture is very much present even today, when you see the Obeah Act still on the books in Jamaica.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Jamaica needs to keep making films that boldly represent the region, communities and cultures, even as it grapples with tough challenges such as rebuilding after Hurricane Melissa, Stanley Niaah said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Brown, who had to cancel this year\u2019s film festival after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/oct\/30\/hurricane-melissa-jamaica-devastated-picking-up-the-pieces-ground-zero\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Hurricane Melissa demolished parts of Black River, <\/a>where the event is normally held, echoed Stanley Niaah\u2019s sentiments, describing Stew Peas as \u201ca ray of hope\u201d, as Jamaica\u2019s multibillion-dollar creative industry struggles to recover.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThis year I had to postpone the Black River film festival, which was a real blow because it was part of how Jamaican creatives were starting to connect with the globe, including contacts from major networks like Canal+ and Netflix,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">She added: \u201cThe hurricane destroyed so much! It destroyed infrastructure, equipment and for some people it destroyed hope. And that is why we need projects like this that demonstrate the resilience of Jamaicans, and send a message to the world that we are still making music and movies and adding that quintessential Jamaican green, gold and black hue to entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Jamaica\u2019s film commissioner Jackie Jacqueline Jackson said films such as Stew Peas are \u201ca powerful testament to the resilience, ingenuity, and determination of Jamaica\u2019s creative industry\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cIt\u2019s important to keep going and demonstrate that Jamaica is still open for business. By signalling this, it encourages international productions to return to Jamaica which positively affects jobs and film production expenditure,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/jamaica\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Jamaica<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/caribbean\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Caribbean<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/americas\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Americas<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/religion\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Religion<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/christianity\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Christianity<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/stage\/magic\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Magic<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/africa\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Bound%20by%20blood:%20new%20film%20highlights%20Jamaica%E2%80%99s%20outlawed%20obeah%20belief%20system&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/may\/30\/stew-pews-film-obeah-jamaica-magic-tradition?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2026%2Fmay%2F30%2Fstew-pews-film-obeah-jamaica-magic-tradition&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=world\/2026\/may\/30\/stew-pews-film-obeah-jamaica-magic-tradition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A still from Stew Peas. Photograph: Danangelowe &#8220;artboii&#8221; Spencer\/DAJS Visuals 2025 View image in fullscreen A still from Stew Peas. Photograph: Danangelowe &#8220;artboii&#8221; Spencer\/DAJS Visuals 2025 Bound by blood: new &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1904\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1904\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}