ST THOMAS — Sosiessia Nixon’s feature film Stew Peas premiered in Jamaica as the country continues recovery efforts following Hurricane Melissa. The suspense film explores obeah, an African-based spiritual and healing tradition that remains illegal under Jamaica’s Obeah Act, which dates to colonial laws enacted in the 1700s.

According to Nixon, the film examines the Jamaican obeah belief that a woman can “bind” a man in a relationship by serving him stew peas laced with her menstrual blood. “The practice of binding a man with stew peas remains taboo in Jamaica and that I wanted to open a conversation about this belief system,” Nixon said. She grew up in St Thomas, Jamaica—a parish sometimes nicknamed the ‘obeah parish’—and was exposed to obeah practices during her upbringing.

The film centers on Jamaican detective Tessa, who becomes consumed by an old murder case while her husband Neil falls under the influence of their maid Marcia, who adds her menstrual blood to his food. Sonjah Stanley Niaah, Jamaican cultural studies scholar and director of UWI’s Centre for Reparation Research, contextualized the belief within African spiritual traditions. “The stew peas belief is linked to the African view that natural elements like menstrual blood possess inherent potency,” she said. She explained that red kidney beans are believed to mask the menstrual blood so the man being charmed cannot detect it.

Stanley Niaah noted that African spiritualities were vilified and outlawed by European colonists who associated them with resistance among enslaved Africans. “Enslavement was sanctioned by the church and that colonial laws banned gatherings of enslaved people, whether for worship or rebellion, and that this legal framework persists today through Jamaica’s Obeah Act,” she said. She added that Caribbean people of African descent inherit these spiritual traditions, though they are often neglected due to fear and are not taught in schools.

Ava Eagle Brown, producer, actor, and founder of Jamaica’s Black River film festival, appears in the film. She described it as “a ray of hope.” She said the storm destroyed infrastructure, equipment, and “for some people, hope,” but that projects like Stew Peas demonstrate Jamaican resilience. Brown joked that the film might make men wary of stew peas and advised her son not to eat the dish from any woman.