Unmasking the Spiritual Scammers of Paris

Legions of phony psychics have twisted an ancient West African tradition into a billion-dollar business that cons desperate and lovelorn people. One band of volunteers is determined to stop them.

Photos by Yulia Grigoryants | Edited by Farah Mohammed

Monsieur Samou sits cross-legged on the carpet, swirling dappled cowrie shells in one hand.

“I see you have lots of potential in your love life,” he says. “But there’s a bottleneck here, and unless you clear it, nothing will change.”

Samou describes himself as a marabout. In West Africa, marabouts are learned Muslims who may be teachers of the Koran, conflict regulators, or leaders of religious ceremonies. They can also be soothsayers. Migrants have brought the latter tradition to Paris and, in the northern neighborhood of Château Rouge, these self-styled clairvoyants have become an institution of sorts. 

A shop sells plantain and other goods in Château Rouge, Paris

Samou practices near Château Rouge’s Marché Dejean, where plantain vendors and fishmongers hawk their wares, and women haggle over okra. He works in a damp, cluttered apartment, where the wallpaper is peeling. Two children sit on a sofa, ignoring Samou and watching cartoons.

His cabinet — his consulting room — is a small walk-in closet. One wall is stacked floor to ceiling with suitcases; animal horns are mounted on another. On the floor is a basket, containing passport-sized photos of two different women. Samou explains that these women are other clients. The passport photos let him carry out rituals for them in their absence.

“The cause of your bottleneck could be anything,” Samou continues, “but someone jealous is probably doing black magic against you.” He moves on, again rotating the cowrie shells in his fist and casting them back into the basket with a flourish.

Samou says that he can perform a ritual to clear this blockage. It will be a mere seven days before the results are visible.

“And I can do this,” he declares, “for the excellent price of €2,000.”