I am very fed up with my foot, which just doesn't seem to heal. Every time I think it's OK and start walking without crutches it swells up again and is very painful.
All my staff and everyone else have been telling me I have to see my neighbour, an old Dogon Marabout with healing powers. I have resisted so far, always very sceptical about alternative healing. But finally I succumbed to the pressure, when even Keita joined the chorus insisting on bringing in the old Dogon. I told Ibrahim to go get him, with the proviso that I was not about to offer any sacrifices..So here he is , working his Maraboutage on my foot. He felt it first, then told me the bones had not set properly. I insisted that the ex-rays showed a perfectly normal foot, only a small crack in the bone, which is what is giving me all this pain. The Cuban orthopedic surgeon in Mopti had told me just to rest and not put any pressure on the foot.
The old Dogon ignored this information and set to work attacking the poor foot, digging in his fingers with considerable force to reset the joint. It didn't last long, fortunately , and the treatment ended by the rubbing in of a black substance he kept in a shell. Then he told me I should start walking and that I wouldn't need the crutches any more. The treatment will continue for four days, but no more bone manipulation, only the black stuff. It feels quite sore at the moment but we will see...