Media personality Arnold Asamoah Baidoo has expressed his views on the presence of black magic (juju) in the film industry.
His comments follow concerns raised by some actors, who claim that the practice has become increasingly common in recent times.
Recently, actors like Portia Asare and Kalybos, among others, have shared their personal experiences on the matter.
This sparked debates on social media, with people either supporting or questioning the validity of these claims.
However, during a discussion on United Showbiz, Arnold Asamoah Baidoo suggested that the belief in ‘juju’ within the film industry may be largely psychological.
He noted that the issue is so perplexing that even actors themselves are divided on the matter.
“I’m always confused about discussions about Juju because industry players that are said to be experiencing it are divided over it. I’ve heard LilWin say there’s no juju in the industry. I’ve also seen Yvonne share her experience about being struck with eye problems on set while shooting Abdul Salam Mumuni’s ‘Material Girl’.
“Yvonne said the problem only cleared when she prayed and that she was certain that someone tried to kill her with juju. Kalybos also shared his experience of being a victim of juju. But I think this whole thing is psychological more often than not,” he stated.
He continued, “The mind is huge, so when it connects to something, it becomes their reality. I am not saying these people are lying. But, for instance, in the case of Yvonne, it could even be a defect or an infection in the eye. Because her mind is tuned to the possibility of being hit by Juju, it becomes her reality.
“Kalybos’ car also might be faulty, but because his mind is fixed on the threats he received on set, he might think it’s some juju at play.”
Arnold pointed out that some actors, such as Fiifi Coleman, believe it is merely propaganda.
“Fiifi Coleman thinks this whole misconception about Juju is just propaganda. so even within their circle, not all of them believe in it,” he added.
The topic of black magic,or ‘juju,’ has longbeen a contentious issue in football, particularly within the African context.
This debate has been reignited by Naa Afrowa, a descendant of a family renowned for pioneering pork sales in Accra.
In a recent episode of GhanaWeb TV’s People & Places, she highlighted the various advantages of pork, emphasizing its nutritional value and other benefits.
Naa Afrowa revealed that within the football community, there is a belief that pork fat can counteract negative spells cast upon players. This belief once made pork fat a lucrative commodity for her family’s business.
However, due to associated risks and a shift in business focus, her family has since ceased this practice.
“Pork fat has been used traditionally to treat wounds. Footballers used to buy it from us, convinced that it could ward off any curses. It was a significant source of income, but we’ve discontinued it,” she explained to GhanaWeb’s Etsey Atisu.
Legendary Ghanaian footballer Asamoah Gyan acknowledges the existence of juju in football.
He recalled that during his youth football days, people performed rituals believed to ensure victory.
Gyan admitted that many players resort to juju in secrecy.
“It’s real; if it’s named, it exists. We were often instructed to perform certain rituals to win, and failure to comply would mean causing the team’s defeat.
“I recall a game where we were promised two goals if we followed specific instructions. There’s a common belief that a goal can be ‘locked’ with juju, and despite clear chances, only one goal will be scored,” he recounted on Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV.
He added that “People have their beliefs. Some may visit a spiritualist right after church. Many players, if honest, engage in such practices.
“Observant individuals can notice these rituals, though they’re kept secret. What one does in private, like a pastor before a sermon, remains their secret power. Some deeply involved in juju may outwardly appear pious,” Gyan concluded.
Renowned Nigerian singer Tobechukwu Victor Okoh, popularly known as Peruzzi, revealed an unusual incident where juju (charms) fell from his jacket while getting dressed at Davido’s house.
Peruzzi shared this surprising experience in a recent interview with Afrotodayy.
He narrated that after taking a shower and relaxing at Davido’s residence, he decided to wear a jacket he had just retrieved from the laundry. To his astonishment, he noticed charms falling from the clothing during the dressing process.
Peruzzi clarified that initially, he had worn a shirt and trousers but felt an inexplicable urge to put on the jacket. He recounted how, as soon as he adorned the jacket, he witnessed the unexpected event.
He said, “One day I was in Davido’s house, after taking my shower around 6pm I wanted to dress up and go downstairs. I wore my shirt and trousers and one jacket was telling me wear me…as I was trying to wear the jacket correct juju fell from the clothes.
“Imagine the jacket I just brought from the laundry!.”
Peruzzi gained popularity for his distinctive sound, which combines elements of R&B, hip hop, and Afrobeat.
After the apprehension of a person suspected of being involved in the killing of a 28-year-old man in Ayiem, located in the Western Region, a recent video has surfaced. This video displays the group carrying out an experiment to assess the effectiveness of their bulletproof ‘juju‘ (magical charm).
Emmanuel Quayco, the individual in question, was taken into custody on August 25, 2023, subsequent to the circulation of a widely shared video depicting him fatally shooting a fellow individual while purportedly conducting a trial of a protective charm.
In a new video which has since emerged on social media, the group of five were captured conducting another test of their charm.
In the said video however, the deceased identified as Amoh Kwadwo alias Mallam walked away unscathed after a locally manufactured pistol was fired at his stomach.
Amoh Kwadwo, a 28-year-old also known as Mallam, tragically passed away when his friend, 22-year-old Emmanuel Quaicoe shot him while attempting to test certain juju powers.
This unfortunate event unfolded at Ayiem, near River Subiri, in the Wassa Mpohor District of the Western… pic.twitter.com/oFh8FQ93DY
In the earlier video showing his death, Amoh slumped and died on the spot after he was shot in the stomach during another testing process.
In a statement announcing the arrest of his shooter, the police said “Preliminary investigation indicates that the suspect, Emmanuel Quayco, together with five other accomplices currently on the run, was in the process of exhibiting the potency of their alleged spiritual powers when he shot and killed the deceased, Amoh Kwadwo alias Mallam, with a single-barrel gun loaded with an AA cartridge.
“The suspect is currently in Police custody assisting the investigation while efforts are underway to arrest the other five suspects to face justice. They are advised to surrender to the nearest Police Station or be fished out from their hideouts,” the statement added.
Former Ghana coach Joseph Emmanuel Sarpong has refuted the long-held assertion that Ghanaian clubs who go in for spiritual support from a divination, popularly termed as “juju” are miraculously able to win their games no matter the odds.
He acknowledged that “juju” does exist in football, however, explained that such spiritual interventions are mere boosters to psyche one ahead of a match. But to guarantee one’s victory in a game, he kicked against such notion.
In an interview with Joy Sports, Mr Sarpong recounted a failed juju initiative that caused his former club, Susubibi, immense embarrassment at the hands of Hasaacas.
According to him, the then coach for Susubibi compelled the players to chant for three hours at a cemetery upon the direction of a fetish priest in order to win against Hasaacas.
“Hasaacas was one big team. So we were supposed to play Hasaacas. Our manager said that someone was going to pray for us. He told us to go to a cemerty at midnight.
I feared spirits. So I made sure I was in the middle of a queue. I won’t be last, I won’t be first so incase of something, I can balance. We went but we were not close to the graves. We went deeper. Everywhere was dark. This man started chanting and saying things, sixth and seventh book of Moses. We came back. We knew we had won,” he recalled.
However, after the fortification, Susubibi conceded by four goals.
“Our managers believed something went wrong that is why we lost,” he added.
However, that was not the last the last time Susubibi sought assistance from the spiritual world.
“Another time, they used blade to make marks on our forehead and put some black powder into it so we are able to see the ball very well. We were given bananas to eat.”
It was only after when Joseph Emmanuel Sarpong parted ways with Susubibi did he realise what had led to their tragic defeat by Hasaacas. He discovered that they were not in the best shape to face such a formidable teach such as Hasaacas after being wornout the night before the game.
“When I left Susubibi, I got to know that the way we stood the whole night without rest, the legs that we were going to use to play, were weak. We stood for about 3 hours. People were dosing, and they will come and hit your back to wake up.”
But this alone could not convince Mr Sarpong that “juju” was a psychological booster. A trick he played with a club he coached solidified his hypothesis.
“There was a time a player came to tell me we need to bath before we can win. So I went, got water and put in lavender. I said come and bath, and we won the match. But there was nothing. So it is because they believed that if I bath, we will win,” he said.
He firmly asserted that “Juju doesn’t help you to win, Juju is a psychological booster.”
Many clubs and footballers have publicly revealed how black magic won them crucial matches and leagues. In 2022, Asante Kotoko legend Sarfo Gyamfi claimed that the Porcupine Warriors managed to win the Ghana Premier League due to “juju”.
While some boast, others on the other hand, have been accused of tapping into such power. Among such individuals is former Black Stars captain, Andre Dede Ayew, whose alleged “juju” undertaking prior to the 2012 AFCON semifinals against Zambia scared a number of his teammates.
The widespread belief in Juju in African Football amazes me! Can't believe that a player of Dede Ayew's calibre also practises this shit! pic.twitter.com/xzYBpSuxVg
Derek Boateng disclosed that Ghana lost the 2012 African Cup of Nations semifinals against Zambia due to rumours of juju among the players.
He said the Black Stars only warmed up for 15 minutes of their allocated 45 minutes because some of the players vowed not to go on the pitch before Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew.
“For about 15 to 20 minutes, we were just standing there and without doing the warm-up. So the only warm-up we did in the game was for about 10 to 15 minutes. A lot of the players said they will not be the first to go on the field until Dede Ayew did.”
“So you see some of them sitting on the toilet, some standing on the side, and some sitting. So it was very disturbing. Goran was the coach and he could not understand what was going on. So after the game, I heard a lot of voices. I flipped up and blasted everybody. After the game, Nyatankyi (the GFA President) came to me and asked me what happened and I told him what exactly happened,” he told the media.
Source: The Independent Ghana | Andy Ogbarmey-Tettey
A prison inmate, Richard Ofosu Dame has been confessing his evil deeds when he was a free man.
His confession included his attempt to kill his own mother but God had His hand on the life of the prayerful woman and protected her from her evil son who had been throwing snares at her.
Narrating his vile deeds to crimecheckghana.org, Dame said he had already killed three people spiritually, which he was contracted to do.
According to him, he became possessed by an evil spirit and he used the powers to cause atrocities including killing people.
He said when he was possessed, people consulted him to do evil for them and that became his job.
Dame said the evil powers he possessed enabled him to summon people’s souls through his chants.
He indicated that he even went to Peki in the Volta Region to buy a snake, which could vomit money.
However, his mother who was against his deeds hindered his acts with her prayers.
Dame said his mother’s prayers did not sit well with him so he attempted to kill her in the same manner he had done with the other deceased individuals.
He said his attempt failed and rather got blind while he was chanting to get her mother’s soul to appear in a calabash for him to stab her. He lost his sight for two years.
“I have a small stone under my bed which I worship. A man gifted it to me. When I want to kill, I get a small doll and pins around it with a red piece of cloth. After that, I put it in a calabash containing water. When the water turns reddish in colour, then it means that the person has been killed. I used the same method to kill three. I also summon people’s souls to kill them.
“It got to a time, my mother’s prayers were obstructing my work. She advised me to stop but I refused. I wanted to take her life the same way I did with the others but it was unsuccessful. I was chanting in a bid to summon my mother’s soul. She was praying that evening and when the incantations got intense, some sort of strange wind blew over my face and that ended my sight. I went blind for two years,” he confessed.
Like Apostle Paul in the Bible, Dame said he repented after his sight was restored.
“When I lost my sight, I realized that God’s power reigns supreme. I was taken to many places to seek help and through that I encountered God,” he said.
One of the regular faces of Kumawood who often plays gangster roles, Ras Nene has revealed that the movie industry has stagnated because the players are involved in juju in a quest for supremacy.
Dropping the bombshell in an interview with Graphic Showbiz, Nene said aside the unnecessary battle to supersede one another, hatred has permeated the heart of most of these actors which has ultimately brought the industry to a standstill.
“All you see in the industry is hatred and selfishness, everyone wants to be at the top. There is so much juju in the movie industry. Hatred will take us nowhere, there is strength in unity,†he stated.
“Truth must be allowed to prevail in the industry, the envy and backbiting must all stop because it will take us nowhere. There are very few Christians in the industry and that is why we are where we are now.
“A lot of veteran actors have passed on, the likes of Super OD, Araba Stamp and S.K. Oppong have all passed on as well as younger ones like Suzzy Williams and Kwame Owusu-Ansah so let us love one another, what will you gain if you gain the whole world and lose your soul?
“There is judgement after death, we should humble ourselves so that the good Lord above who sees all things will bless us abundantly,†he said.
