Martin Nkematabong
10 July 2009
Prophet Mamadou failed to heal a popular cripple in Grand Hangar, Bonaberi.
Charismatic prayers and miracle healing are current phenomenons that typify city life in Douala. Countless inhabitants suffer from diverse ailments resulting from innumerable infectious diseases, poor sanitation and lack of portable water, pollution, food poising and very undesirable climatic conditions. Yet the citizenry desire for good health can hardly be satisfied by available facilities, coupled with soaring healthcare costs. Beleaguered, thousands have turned towards men-of-God”or healing priests for solutions. But do the multitudes who line the streets in whopping cassocks, brandishing the bible and olive oil really heal?
Last Wednesday, a certain prophet Mamadou made a triumphant entry into the Grand Hanger neighbourhood in Douala, pulling a crowd of frantic men and women who chanted songs of faith, and waved placards that described their disease types. Idlers and the mentally challenged joint their ranks, hoping to amazingly overcome their anguish. The prowess of the skinny leggy prophet was high. Mamadou is said to have cured the incurable in Benin. He has twice been to Gethsemane. His disciples said Mamadou was better than Paul and Simon.
Then came a time to act. The prophet, amidst roaring hymns, sealed his eyes, perched on two toes, stretched his bonny neck and raised a silver chalice up to the sky, cursed, bound and nailed the spirit of blindness and madness. Then, two men bounced out of the crowd, screamed and darted toward undefined directions, claiming to have regained their sights. The crowd marvelled, though no one recognize any of the men.
Overwhelmed, Mr. Alino, a cripple who sells cigarette in the neigbourhood, crawled up, wailing for salvation. Then, a strange thing happened. The prophet placed Alino on a two-metre high stool, instructed the cripple to skip high into the air and walk away as soon as the “the mighty name of Jesus” is mentioned. Alino perched on the stool. The prophet went into a trance, conjured and quarantined the spirit of disability “in the mighty name of Jesus!” Alino sprang high into the air, landed on pebbles on his neck and broke his rip. Onlookers lost patience. Hundreds pounced on prophet Mamadou, tore his flesh, cracked his limbs and allowed him to suffocate. At press time, the prophet panted under heavy rain.
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