A new movie by Jamaican filmmaker Sosiessia Nixon draws attention to Jamaica’s long-standing spiritual and healing practices rooted in West African traditions, known as obeah. The suspense film Stew Peas follows detective Tessa, who becomes consumed by an unsolved murder. Her life unravels after discovering that her husband Neil has come under the influence of their maid Marcia. The plot intensifies when it emerges that Marcia has secretly added her menstrual blood to Neil’s meals. Nixon explained that the story centers on the persistent belief that a woman can bind a man through a dish of kidney beans and meat stew turned into a love potion with this addition. The director aims to encourage discussion about the conflict between Christianity and obeah, which stems from African heritage and remains practiced despite being banned since the colonial era of the 1700s and still prohibited. Nixon, raised in St Thomas parish, often called the obeah parish, drew from personal experiences growing up there. Producer Ava Eagle Brown noted the film will connect with Caribbean audiences worldwide, especially those in the diaspora. Cultural scholar Sonjah Stanley Niaah linked the belief to African concepts of natural elements like menstrual blood possessing power, with red beans used to conceal it. She welcomed exploration of African spiritualities long misunderstood and suppressed by colonial authorities. Stanley Niaah highlighted ongoing tensions between Christian practices and African spirituality, noting laws like the Obeah Act persist today. The film arrives as Jamaica recovers from Hurricane Melissa, with Brown calling it a symbol of resilience in the creative sector.
