For a president who claimed to have supernatural powers, it was just another example of his benign magical touch.
But when Gambia’s witchcraft-practising dictator, Yahya Jammeh, declared to the world in 2007 that he had invented a miracle cure for HIV, the response was not ridicule but horror.
Not only did his mystic recipe only work on Mondays and Thursdays, it required patients to give up anti-retrovirals in favour of a yellow herbal concoction.
Yet while medical experts condemned it as dangerous quackery, that was not an option for Lamin Ceesay, one of an estimated 9,000 HIV-positive Gambians offered places in the president’s HIV "clinic".
Too scared of Mr Jammeh to turn the invite down, Mr…
To continue reading this article
Start a 30-day free trial for unlimited access to Premium articles
- Unlimited access to Premium articles
- Subscriber-only events and experiences
- Cancel any time
Free for 30 days
then only £2 per week
Try Premium
Save 25% with an annual subscription
Just £75 per year
Click Here: Putters
Save now
Register for free and access one Premium article per week
Register
Only subscribers have unlimited access to Premium articles.Register for free to continue reading this article
RegisterOr unlock all Premium articles.
Free for 30 days, then just £1 per week
Start trial
Save 40% when you pay annually.
View all subscription options |
Already have an account? Login
Recent Comments