Where mystics shape a nation’s future

High Priestess Thioro Faye posing for a portrait during a Xooy (call) divination ceremony in Fatick, Senegal. — AFP

THE crowd sat rapt as Senegalese master fortune-teller Adama Gackou entered a trance to predict what the future holds for the west African country.

Dead silence reigned as Gackou, his face dimly lit up in the late night shadows, foretold a tumultuous year of violent protest while swaying back and forth.