The marabouts are also on TikTok

Women and generations X and Y would be the most affected by para-sciences.

On TikTok the hashtag #marabout has 26.4 million views. The Paul Pogba affair is necessarily there for something. Since the international footballer supposedly called on a spell caster to cast the evil eye on his team-mate in the France team, Kylian Mbappé, the word marabout has largely been propelled to the top of searches on platforms. And if the function is often associated with a somewhat outdated figure of the half-wise half-sorcerer distributing his business cards at the exit of metro stations, the figure of the marabout in 2022 actually has many definitions. It is enough to see the Ifop study for the Jean-Jaurès Foundation carried out in 2020 to understand that young people are also interested in the para-sciences. “Today, 40% of people under 35 believe in witchcraft compared to 25% of people over 35”, note The report. And the latter consume content far from traditional firms.

Witches 2.0

For purists, witchcraft and black magic have nothing to do with the marabout. The man who is more often associated today with a charlatan than with an adviser, was originally a holy man (rarely a woman), recognized as a protector of the harvest according to the definition of Larousse. But since then, the term has taken on various meanings, due to the confluence of different beliefs ranging from mystical ideas to popular superstitious and even magical practices. Capitalism coming to add to that, the marabout who formerly was paid only in house and cover, now tends to propose a price list. 800 euros to find the loved one, 600 euros to have success at work… The sums requested should immediately sound the alarm. “99% of these African clairvoyants are not marabouts, but money makers. Their niche is the return of affection. Scams can cause their customers to lose colossal sums, up to 10, 20, 50, and even 100,000 euros”, explained Youcef Sissaoui, President of the National Institute of Divinatory Arts (Inad).

If these famous fake marabouts continue to distribute cards in the street, while offering their services directly on the Internet, it is not them that young people consult from social networks. On Instagram and TikTok, the science of the paranormal seems to have become the preserve of women. Urban witch, modern-day witch… those who present themselves as astrologers, clairvoyants, numerologists, card pullers, are legion. On Insta, @sadietarotslondon, for example, offers her recipe to stabilize your finances made with basil, mint, black onyx and three coins that you throw in a small green bag. This talisman will have to accompany you everywhere. @tarot_aishwarya555 offers to bring back the loved one by writing their name and yours in red marker on a small piece of paper that you will insert in a lemon cut in half. On TikTok, @anastasiamoongirl, who has nearly 710,000 subscribers, sells oils to attract love or ward off the evil eye. So many free magic formulas but that you can improve by slipping into the DMs of these 2.0 witches, for a fee. Other more occult accounts offer to cast spells under the hashtags #spellwork (209.4M views) or #witchtok.

@anastasiamoongirl How to use the evil eye oil! #evileyeprotection #evileye ♬ original sound – Anastasia 🌙

Generation X and Y and women most affected

“The craze for witchcraft can be linked to the pronounced taste of young people for the paranormal, in particular conveyed by American cultural productions”, notes researcher Louise Jussian ofyears its Ifop report published in 2020. “There are countless films and series taking up the themes of witchcraft that have invaded our big and small screens since the end of the 1990s: from the triumph of the Harry Potter saga to the wave of vampires and witches driven by the Charmed series and the Twilight pentalogy“, she explains. These emblematic series could therefore have participated in trivializing a certain idea of ​​witchcraft, especially among young women, followers of these productions. This trivialization of spiritual practice among young people also creates a feeling of group, states the researcher. With astrology for example, some identify themselves according to their signs. Bulls are stubborn, scales seek balance… An identity game reinforced by online relationships that are multiplied compared to real life, but also by marketing products put on sale to surf on this trend. Brands no longer hesitate to release collections based on the twelve signs of the Zodiac, such as Tommy Hilfiger in 2019 or the Vogue media in April 2022.with sweaters flanked by images of Scorpions, Pisces or other Aquarians.

Close links with covid-19

“(…) the craze for the paranormal appears to be closely linked to adherence to conspiracy and antivaccinist theses”, notes Louise Jussian in her Ifop report. Along with a lack of trust in science, hype and fake news have reinforced the need to seek truth elsewhere. “In a context where the Internet multiplies the sources of information and misinformation, the individual is drowned in a massive flow of data. Faced with this loss of bearings, fake news is numerous, and people know it. Therefore, isn’t it easier for the individual to believe in a reassuring idea than to be in the perpetual search for a truth that is never absolute? asks the researcher. “Never knowing which truth is the right one, believing in conspiracies or in the definition of one’s character by the stars reduces the cost of research and reflection, while providing reassuring keys to reading in an increasingly societal environment. anxiety inducing“, she writes.

Witches and marabouts everywhere, truth nowhere? PS: The birth chart of Paul Pogba is it available on the internet. And that’s not fake news.

^{August 30, 2022}