Jan 10, 2022
A centuries-old practice with little place in the modern world.
Babka Vanda—eyes like shiny buttons, hair tucked beneath a headscarf, dressed in a floral-print blouse—told photographer Siarhiej Leskiec a story about her grandmother. She was thought to be a witch, Babka Vanda said, and the local priest had forbidden her from treating people—until, that is, he was bitten by an adder. She whispered words into the wind, and he was cured. She eventually passed that power, to heal through whispers, to Babka Vanda.
Today, this ancient Belarusian healing tradition is slowly disappearing. For Leskiec, it’s a part of his country’s heritage, and he wants to document it before it is gone completely.
