Le signe des génies

Sign of the genii.- In Western Mali Jine don is a possession cult with therapeutic aims. The jinetigi recruit as new members people exhibiting the "sign of the genii", that is psychosomatic troubles due to a supposed aggression of the cult genii. Due to the growth of Islam, family heads tend to be more and more reluctant to turn over their dependents -- especially male ones -- to the cult, which, as a consequence, is progressively feminized. Another factor is urbanization which induces an individualization of therapies. At any rate the jinetigi still plays a central role in the cure. He is the owner and master of the instruments and divination rites used in diagnosis. Through his experience of the disease he is able to estimate the chances of success in each case and to desist if he deems them insufficient.