‘We cannot put the shrine out of our sight’. These are not the words of a shaman or a priest. They are spoken by Filippo, a psychoanalyst and anthropologist working with victims of human trafficking in Palermo. 

Among the patients who are referred to Filippo, and his colleague Maria Chiara, are a growing number of Nigerian women who have been trafficked to Italy as sex workers. Very often these women, who have suffered under conditions of physical violence and coercion, have also been victims of psychological and spiritual abuse. 

In the process of making RITES UNDONE, we spoke with many women who had similar stories. Their journey to Europe began at a local shrine, often in Nigeria’s Edo state, where their traffickers forced them to swear an oath of loyalty to them. These trafficking practices deliberately exploit the African religious and cultural systems that hold beliefs in ‘juju’ or native medicine as sacred, to enforce a monopoly of power over those women. Juju beliefs and practices are manipulated and channelled to coerce them into sex work.

RITES UNDONE investigates the psychological methods of control used by human traffickers for sexual exploitation, and explores the epistemic challenges faced by European mental health workers seeking to offer therapy across cultural and religious divides.

Credit:

Film by (in collaboration with Naomi Richman)

Production Info:

Production Company: Derek Jarman Lab
Project funded by: Wellcome Trust

Screenings:

Mental Health Rights Film Festival (Lisbon), Souq Film Festival (Milan), Refugees Welcome Film Festival (Berlin) among others
Winner Best Short Documentary, Courage Film Festival (Berlin)