OzikoroRituals of Protection: The Akalogoli Charm and Igbo Beliefs on Malevolent Spirits in the Early 1900s
In the early 1910s, Northcote Thomas captured a photograph titled “Burning palm flower [man burying akalogoli charm to ward off evil spirits].” The term Akalogoli is thought to derive from the Igbo words akala, meaning sign or mark, and ogoli, referring to a wastrel or ne’er-do-well. It denotes a malicious, tricky, or malevolent spirit, believed…