THE SACRED ROCK

Well, it's not exactly Uluru or Yéliman (an impressive rock of sacrifice and worship located near the village of Sépikaha north of Niakara in the department of Katiola . yes: that's a lot of "a's"), but this rock is still worth a visit if only for the view and the environment, especially if you are lucky enough to fall in the middle of a ritual ceremony. People come here to make sacrifices so that the rock genie can grant their wishes and prayers and keep them from the evil eye. As an intermediary between the Earth and the Aether, the "man of the rock", stationed all day long under the great mineral mass, is in charge of the sacrifice. Traditionally, the ritual consists of slitting the throat of a chicken against the rock and spilling the animal's blood as an offering by reciting invocations, before collecting one of its feathers and some of its flesh to attach it to the rock face that has been set aside for this purpose. If you are not too happy at the idea of seeing the head of a bird cut off, and seeing the blood spill, you can always be recommended a "lighter" sacrifice by the village fetishists: with a bit of luck, a few nuts of cola should do the trick, even if theoretically, the bigger the sacrifice, the more likely it is that your wishes will be granted and the spell will smile on you. The clairvoyant sitting next to the rock works the cowries in particular and will be able to reinforce your good fortune. All you have to do is make a wish once you get there!