Portrait of a boy participating in a bwiti ceremony with his...

VALLéE-DU-NTEM, AMBAM, RéGION DU SUD, CAMEROON - 2022/03/18: Portrait of a boy participating in a bwiti ceremony with his face painted white. In Bwiti ceremonies, participants cover their faces with a white paste called kaolin to ward off evil spirits. Bwiti is a spiritual practice that incorporates animism, ancestor worship, and Christianity into a syncretistic belief system. During Bwiti ceremonies, participants consume iboga, a plant that alters the state of consciousness and causes visions. One of the most important Bwiti ceremonies is that of initiation, in which the initiate takes iboga for the first time and is introduced to the cult. The ceremony is led by a spiritual leader or shaman called Nganga. (Photo by Jorge Fernández/LightRocket via Getty Images)