Lines of cars and motorbikes criss-cross the arid West African landscape, kicking up clouds of dust on unpaved roads.
The destination: Toeghin Peulh, a village 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou that has become a magnet for the sick and desperate.
Thousands of people came to seek help, for themselves or for their loved ones, from a 20-year-old woman named Adja whose reputation for healing has spread throughout the country.
At the end of the track is a sea of parked motorbikes, tents and pilgrims, many dressed in white.
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Among the rivers of humanity there are people whose feet are chained, lame people, others who are said to be possessed, cursed by bad luck or haunted by spirits.
They are desperate from a country wracked by poverty and ravaged by a bloody jihadist insurgency, with the flimsiest of social safety nets.
“We tried all kinds of treatments, but nothing worked,” said Awa Tiendrebeogo, a relative of a chronic headache sufferer.
“Then someone we know told Adja, and we came here.”
Adja is the nickname for Amsetou Nikiema, a young woman who says she was haunted by visions as a child in rural Burkina – and suffered cruelty at the hands of her family as a result.
Three years ago, news spread that he performed miraculous healings. From there, his reputation snowballed.
Today, drawing on traditional medicine and what he says is spiritual guidance, he practices in an open compound built in the bush with the help of wealthy donors – he doesn’t charge, but donations and other offerings are encouraged.
– Skirts and T-shirts –
This Sunday, thousands have come to ask for help.
First they gathered to pray, repeating in chorus, “There is no god but God.”
After a while, Adja appeared – a young woman with braided hair, wearing only a long skirt and an orange shirt, walking barefoot in the dust with only a cane as an accessory.
Adja started looking at the sun, his face twitched, then he looked at the pilgrims.
“He’s over there, wearing a pink shirt, he’s going to have an accident,” he predicted. “There was someone who came to investigate me,” he added, without identifying the individual.
Animist Burkina Faso
Officially, only nine percent of Burkina Faso’s population profess animism.
But this figure is generally considered to be an underestimate. Traditional beliefs run deep, often among the country’s Muslim and Christian majority, and authorities are tolerant of self-proclaimed healers.
“The saying here is that people criticize the tradition during the day and do it at night,” said one of Adja’s assistants.
Among those who sought his help were those who were said to be victims of evil spirits, such as Fatoumata, a young woman who suddenly lost her leg.
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He sat motionless on the ground while Adja sprinkled holy water and slowly walked over his body, barefoot.
The prayers of the crowd rose, mixing with the cries of the other “seated” people waiting their turn.
In Fatoumata’s case, Adja failed. The patient did not wake up, but the following case, also a woman, recovered the use of her legs.
– ‘Suffering’ –
Adja believes that his honesty in admitting his failure to cure a condition beyond his power is what attracts people to him.
“Adja’s fame comes from his integrity,” said Awa Tiendrebeogo, who said he had cured his brother of a dizzy spell.
Mental health experts say Burkina – one of the world’s poorest countries – can offer little support over conventional medicine for people with psychological problems.
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A study by Burkinabe doctors, published in the French medical journal l’Encephale in 2018, said 41 percent of the population could be described as having a “mental disorder”, but “only a small minority … receive treatment.”
Adja told AFP that his strength comes from a “spiritual” entity that rules his life and forbids him to lie.
His sensitivity to the spirit world, he added, meant that at night those who envied him would cast spells. He pointed to what he said were invisible wounds on his arms and legs and body.
He was surrounded by many bodyguards, assistants and biographers, but seemed cheerful and spontaneous.
“The reason why I laugh at everything is to make it easier for people,” he said. “People used to hate me when I was little, so I want people to like me.”
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“Because of my family, because of the way I was mistreated by them, I am the person I am today, and I know how to take care of people,” he said.
“And if you don’t suffer in your childhood, you will never succeed in life.”