COVID takes a bite from Bazoulé’s cult of sacred crocodiles

By JOSEPH HAMMOND
Religion News Service

In Burkina Faso, the crocodile is divine. The cult of the crocodile dates to sometime in the 1500s, when, during a period of severe drought, locals believe, a crocodile appeared in Lake Bazoulé and led women to a source of fresh water. A thanksgiving was held by the grateful villagers and the reptiles have been revered ever since. But a recent visit confirmed there were more crocodiles lounging on the shore of the holy lake than cars in the parking lot. With an uprising in Burkina Faso’s north and the travel disruptions of COVID-19, the number of tourists has slowed and locals once keen on the tourist trade have refocused on the vegetable gardening for which the village is also known.