Adewale Alebiosu, a Nigerian actor known for playing the roles of an ifa priest or babalawo has warned actors from playing such roles in movies.
He gave this warning during an interview with BBC Yoruba where he stated that reciting some incantations in movies had some adverse effects on him in real life.
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According to him, he was out doing his job and didn’t know that the incantations would haunt him in real life.
He revealed further that some actors fail to understand that incantations have some hidden powers which is not known to human.
Alebiosu also spoke about how role stereotyping made viewers assume he was into spiritism and voodoo beyond acting.
“People often think of me as a native doctor. This is not the case. I’ve never been a native doctor, and neither has my father. When I first started acting, which I learned from Taiwo Balogun, I loved incantations,” the actor said.
“After I left him, I met with one of my bosses, Fatai Adetayo Oodua. That was when I started using incantations. Filmmakers were the ones who made people start to ask why it was solely the native doctor roles I was being given.
“Acting shaped people’s perception of me as a wicked man. I’m not that dangerous. My parents are both Muslims.”
“I never knew there was so much more to the incantations I was delivering. I thought I was just delivering my lines, not knowing there are repercussions to follow. Whenever I get home after the act, while I sleep I would see some strange beings, and some would turn to goats and start biting me.”
Alebiosu warned that the coming generation who wants to play the role of a Babalawo should be very careful and be ready to be prayerful. According to him, the role requires all sorts of precautions.
“I’m saying this to warn them so that they don’t end up regretting their lives or ending up miserably,” he said.
“Actors who want to play traditional priests and native doctors should pray fervently. When I’m called on set, the filmmakers see I came in a bike or taxi,” he added.
“They start asking if I have no car of my own. I tell them I don’t and they are shocked. They feel pity for me. But the words I hear from them hurt me. Those I trained have become wealthy. If I offended god, he should forgive me.”