Mukasa Afrika Ma’at
Alfredo Bowman was born on November 26, 1933 in Honduras in the village of Ilanga, also kindly and affectionately known around the world as “Dr.” Sebi. Recently he died from pneumonia while in jail as a result of carrying $37,000 and charged with money laundering. Rumors swirl on social media that he may have been assassinated by the medical industry now making advances in AIDS therapy. His death sent shockwaves of sorry and praise throughout the international naturopathic communities who had all but come to revere Sebi, many in fact did revere and praise his healing powers. I will refer to him as Sebi because he was not a medical doctor or doctor of any degrees, but his credentials didn’t matter to his countless cult followers. He boasted about not ever going to school or reading books, but what does it matter? He was more than a renowned herbalist and nutritional guru. Sebi was sworn by many to be some type of god of medicine, a god of medicine of the Usha Village. He was sworn by many to heal the sick. He claimed to have performed countless miracles, all except raising the dead and walking on water! He has many disciples and cult followers, among them family members and health practitioners in various countries who guarantee the teachings of Sebi will live on.
Sebi claimed he won a 1988 case against the New York Supreme Court and people believed him. He claimed he cured AIDS and people believed him. He claimed he cured cancer and people believed him. He claimed he healed blindness and paralysis and was believed. In fact, he claimed he could cure all manner of disease and people believed him. He showed no proof, no medical studies or records for any of his claims and people still believed him. He claimed he could accomplish these medical miracles, which is what they were, all except raising the dead. Had he claimed he could raise the dead and walk on water like Jesus, would people have believed him still? Why not if his other miracles have been sworn to by thousands of cult followers around the world? “Dr.” Alfredo Bowman Sebi was a medical god! Never mind the fact that he died of pneumonia and took pharmaceutical drugs to try to save his own life while in jail; he was a medical god. He traveled the world to bring miracles of healing AIDS, blindness, paralysis, cancers, and all manner of disease. Surely he may have walked on water and raised the dead and we were simply not informed.
He taught us the secrets to his miracles while on Earth. He taught us that mucus is the only disease. All disease comes from mucus, according to Sebi. Mucus is the source of AIDS, not the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Mucus in the eye, he taught is the source of blindness, not vascular disease and macular degeneration according to endless studies. Cancer is mucus in the cells, not the metastatic growth of abnormal cells. Paralysis is the result of mucus. This is how Sebi conducted all of his miracles, through herbal remedies that removed mucus from the body. Never mind the fact that in the entire medical industry and scientific world it is simple fact that mucus is not a disease but is part of the body’s immune system and contains immunoglobulin qualities to fight bacteria and viruses. Never mind the fact that if your body could not produce mucus you would not be alive. Sebi performed miracles.
Surely Sebi, the god and guru of the Usha Village, could not be wrong about his herbal and nutrition treatment because he treated Michael Jackson, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Steven Segal, and others. Never mind that he disclosed personal medical information about his customers which is a privacy violation of their rights. Never mind that Michael Jackson was not cured of his addiction to medical drugs and didn’t pay Sebi hundreds of thousands of dollars. Cecily Tyson and Teddy Pendergrass didn’t pay Sebi either. Supposedly he partially healed Teddy Pendergrass’ paralysis, although this was not publicly stated by the legendary singer or his family or anyone else, never mind that fact. Sebi said that if his customers (“patients”) came to him, he didn’t even need to know the disease and he could still heal them of everything anyway!
Sebi taught us not to eat hybrid foods and certain other foods because God didn’t make them. He said we must not eat carrots, yams, or sweet potatoes although they are all extremely rich sources of beta carotene which convert to Vitamin A in the body. He said don’t eat broccoli and cauliflower because both are poisonous. Never mind that these are extremely healthy vegetables and no one in history has ever died from broccoli and cauliflower poisoning, ever. Almonds have cyanide (not only wild almonds that are not sold, all almonds), peppermint freezes the brain, and beans will kill you – according Sebi. The medicine god, more than some herbalist guru, he has a host of foods which he recommends. The medicine god of Usha, Sebi, he also recommends smoking marijuana, lots of it like him. Sebi’s nutritional guidelines have been depended on by countless people. Never mind the fact that he himself was 6’2” and 120 pounds which made him severely underweight and malnourished. Never mind that too.
Sebi even went up before the Supreme Court of the State of New York in 1988 and he won! This is the story along with the promotion of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes that helped launch the guru into god status. Sebi and all of his cult followers tell this story over and over and over again. The court challenged that Sebi could not cure AIDS and the judge asked for less than ten people he treated to come and testify that he healed them. Sebi brought 77 of his loyal “patients” and he proved that he cured AIDS and a god was born! Never mind the facts of the case. Never mind that the truth is the case was brought before the court because Sebi falsely claimed he cured AIDS in an advertisement. The court judgment and order was stamped June 9, 1988 and stated the following:
· “It APPEARING that respondents, without admitting that they are or have been engaged in any alleged fraudulent or illegal acts of practices, are desirous of resolving this matter without further trial of adjudication,” which means there was a settlement loss, not a court victory for the god.
· “Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed that respondents are permanently enjoined from engaging in any fraudulent, deceptive or illegal acts of practice including, but not limited to: 1. Claiming, orally or in writing, directly or by implication, that respondents, their services or their products can cure, mitigate, or in any way relieve or alter the course of AIDS, herpes, leukemia, sickle cell anemia, lupus or any other human disease, pain, injury, deformity or physical condition…”
· The court judgment is dated June 9, 1988, People of the State of New York, by Robert Abrams, Attorney General of the State vs. Alfredo Bowman aka Dr. Sebi and can be found at http://www.casewatch.org/ag/ny/usha/consent_1988.pdf. But don’t bother to read that, never mind that it meant the god couldn’t legally claim to heal an acne spot, cough, or a even headache.
Never mind the details of the actual case settlement. Never mind that the court ordered Sebi to place a public notice of refund in the New York Amsterdam News for any of his customers that were unsatisfied with his products. Never mind that Sebi had to pay restitution and refunds for fraudulent business in this court settlement. He won and proved that he cured AIDS and all disease, at least according to him. Never mind that Sebi was placed in an insane asylum for paranoia and schizophrenia in the 60s before he became a guru and a god. Never mind that he needed a reality check and was given to impulsive and compulsive lying at least since 1988. Never mind that he was malnourished, fainted in public from lack of food, and died of related pneumonia probably from being malnourished in a jail in Honduras from money laundering. Never mind that he used quack science to become a health guru – the god of Usha. Here’s all you need to know… Dr. Alfredo Bowman Sebi was like Jesus, or maybe he was the second coming. After all, he healed the sick, the leper, the blind, AIDS, cancer, and all manner of disease. He made the crippled to walk. He walked on water and raised the dead.
Owen "Money" Muhammad
This brief essay has not focused on the question of money laundering. This brief essay has not discussed Owen “Money” Muhammad who gave what money he had left to Sebi for treatment in the Usha Village and died shortly thereafter from lung cancer. This essay will not mention the patient with herpes, AIDS, and ulcers who was ripped off of thousands of dollars and not healed by Sebi in the Usha Village. This essay did not focus on the woman who walked in sick to the Usha Village, spent many thousands of dollars, and left crippled from more debilitating illness in a wheelchair. This essay did not discuss the countless people who put life and well-being at risk believing and practicing any of the quack nutrition science of the god of Usha. This essay will not address the many possible terminally ill who died after seeing Sebi. Please read, research, cross-reference, fact check, and get other professional opinions before you follow any quacks, frauds, snake oil salesmen, charlatans, con-artists, gurus, or gods.
About the author
Mukasa Afrika Ma’at holds a Bachelor of Arts in Black Studies from CSU. He earned a Master of Science in Education Administration from GMU and a Master of Arts in Inner-City Studies Educational Leadership from NEIU. He is an historian, author, blogger, and poet. He has done critical essays on Black Leadership, politics, and culture along with extensive research and essays on Afrikan-Centered education. Mukasa Ma’at is a Black Belt martial arts instructor who developed and founded Ma’at-Sumu, a full mixed-martial arts combat system. He has been a teacher and education administrator of Afrikan-Centered schools. He has supported Afrikan-Centered schools and CIBI. Recently, he founded the National Black Independent School Fund to create scholarships. He is an education advocate for poor children and blogs on funding equity and access. He is presently working on his doctoral studies in education at GMU with his dissertation on rites of passage. To support the National Black Independent School Fund donate at www.gofundme.com/sovereigneducation