“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored”.

Central Africa, Burundi, 1169

It was darker than the previous nights. They had lost many men in the long battle before finally capturing him and made certain that none of the cult members could escape, for that was necessary for total abolition.

He had to be killed by fire. His body had been tied high on a pole and a massive heap of firewood was stored under his feet, soaked in some kind of animal fats. There were crosses and amulets hanging on ropes around him, to ward off evil. The tied man looked furious and his whole body was taut in rage, his eyes red, fixed on the cottage across the picket fence.

There was a large circle drawn around the pole he was tied with. The tribesmen were sitting outside the circle, wearing loads of charms, patiently waiting for the high priest. The loud drumbeats had made the environment even more frightening. The tribesmen got up in deference to receive the high priest as he emerged from his cottage. The high priest walked gracefully towards the circle with a lance in his hand, covered with the skin of the rattlesnake. He stopped nearing the pole, raised his head in pride, and their eyes met.

“Loi kaal”, the environment exploded as the fearsome prisoner uttered a thunderous bellow of rage. He repeatedly uttered those words, staring ferociously at the high priest. The women in the village trembled in fear and the children began to cry.

The high priest was expressionless. He had a sidelong glance at a man who was waiting for his instructions, holding a rope tied around the neck of a plump sacrificial lamb. The high priest silently nodded and the man quickly slaughtered the animal, collected its blood in a large bowl. The other man standing next to him took the bowl from him and quickly poured it evenly on the huge pile of firewood under the feet of the prisoner and returned to his place.

The high priest nodded in approval, taking a flambeau in his hand as he slowly moved forward and stood before the prisoner. He closed his eyes and started murmuring some words. The tribesmen joined him in a chorus and the tempo heightened as their chants grew louder. The drumbeats reverberated in the open environment and the women in their homes closed their doors in fear.