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Food Parcels in International Migration pp 143–167Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

West African Plants and Prayers in the Netherlands: Nourishment Through Visible and Invisible Substances

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Part of the book series: Anthropology, Change, and Development ((ACD))

Abstract

This chapter explores how transnational connections between West Africa and Europe are created, emphasised and maintained through the transference of visible and invisible “esoteric substances” such as medicinal plants, animal products, prayers and spells. It focuses on the importance of marabouts, or Sufi Islamic experts, in providing these linkages between West Africans in the Netherlands and their country of origin. By taking esoteric practices as a starting point, this chapter thus explores transnationalism in the intimate, private sphere of personal well-being, protection and empowerment. By addressing specifically Muslim, francophone West African migrants in the Netherlands, this chapter furthermore analyses ways in which visible and invisible connections to a “homeland” matter to migrants who form a small minority in their host country.

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  1. Bayreuth University, Bayreuth, Germany

    Amber Gemmeke

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  1. Amber Gemmeke
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  1. Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain

    Diana Mata-Codesal

  2. University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK

    Maria Abranches

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Gemmeke, A. (2018). West African Plants and Prayers in the Netherlands: Nourishment Through Visible and Invisible Substances. In: Mata-Codesal, D., Abranches, M. (eds) Food Parcels in International Migration. Anthropology, Change, and Development. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40373-1_7

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