Beware the Shark-Oil Peddlers and Fake Healers

Apr 30, 2025 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Peeping Tom…

Kaieteur News- A few years ago, a man lost his son. The death of his son has traumatized him. He has never recovered from it and now has gone to the extreme of blaming someone of putting a’ bad spirit’ on his son. When I asked him how he came to this conclusion, he said that a spiritual person told him this.

Guyana is a land of believers. We are a people of faith. Most of us belong to one religious order or another. We go to church, mandir, or masjid. We pray, we fast, we celebrate holy days. And central to nearly every faith in Guyana is the idea that good and evil exist side by side. We believe in God and the Devil. In angels and demons. In blessings and curses.

So when something bad happens to us—a sudden illness, a string of misfortune, the unexplained death of a loved one—it is easy for our minds to look for a spiritual cause. Many Guyanese don’t just ask what went wrong, but who caused it. Was it someone jealous of us? Was it someone “working something”? That’s when the snake oil peddlers enter the scene.

These fraudsters claim to see things. They speak in riddles and warn you of “bad vibes.” But what they really want is your money. They are not spiritual guides. They are predators who feed off fear, pain, and desperation.

These are the people selling shark oil and promising miracles. They tell you your child’s fever is not dengue or an infection—it’s a curse. They say your back pain isn’t from hard work—it’s someone sending “bad eye.” They will never recommend you see a doctor. Because if you do, you’ll find the truth. And once you know the truth, you’ll stop paying them.

They will give you bitter things to drink, and ask you to bring strange items—white rum, chalk, a white fowl, rice grains, and ten thousand dollars. They’ll tell you that your problems are spiritual. That you need “cleansing.” That somebody is trying to destroy you.

And in your weakest moment, you believe them. Because it’s hard to accept that bad things just happen. It’s easier to think someone caused it. And it’s comforting to think someone can remove it.

Even worse, some of these fake healers actually believe in what they’re doing. They’re not just conmen—they’re misled themselves. They genuinely believe that every headache is a hex, every lump is a curse, and every misfortune is the result of some “work” being done. So instead of sending you to the hospital, they send you to the river, to bathe in silence before sunrise.

And sadly, many victims don’t speak out. They’re ashamed. They don’t want people to know they spent thousands of dollars and got no better. They keep going back, hoping that next time the cleansing will work. All while the shark-oil peddler counts the money and prepares the next concoction.

There are real consequences. People die. They die because they ignored warning signs and chose chants over check-ups. Children die because their parents trusted a “seer” instead of a pediatrician. People suffer silently because they fear being told their sickness is punishment for some sin.

We need to put things in perspective. If you’re sick, the first person you should see is a doctor. A trained, certified, and competent medical professional. Ask questions. Demand answers. And if you’re not satisfied, go get a second opinion—but from another doctor, not from a candle-lit room with incense and whispers.

If someone shows signs of mental illness, emotional trauma, or depression, they need professional help. Not a spiritualist. Not a self-proclaimed prophet. Take them to a psychiatrist, a counselor, a therapist. They need care, not candles. Healing, not hearsay.

This does not mean you should abandon your faith. Faith is powerful. Prayer brings comfort. Religious belief can strengthen the spirit. But belief should never replace medicine. God gave us minds to learn and hands to heal. We dishonour that gift when we ignore science and put our trust in charlatans.

There has never been a single credible study that shows a fortuneteller curing cancer. Or an astrologer removing diabetes. Or a “cleanser” stopping a seizure. There is no evidence—none—that someone selling bush medicine on Facebook can treat hypertension or cure a child with epilepsy.

So if you’re ill, even if you have to wait for hours at the clinic, go. It’s better to wait than to waste your money and risk your life. Do not fall for the gimmicks of a fraudster dressed hiding behind incense smoke.

And if a community elder tells you they can “remove the bad luck,” ask them when last they had a check-up. Some of them can’t even heal themselves, much less anyone else.

At the end of the day, most problems people face are medical in nature. They require real diagnosis, real treatment, and real follow-up. Spiritualists may give you hope. But hope alone does not cure disease. And a false sense of healing can be more dangerous than no healing at all.

Stop letting the shark-oil peddlers win. Stop feeding the fake doctors. Put your faith in facts, not frauds. And always remember—belief in good and evil is fine, but when it comes to your health, start with a trained, licensed, and qualified medical professional.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) 

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