A Brief Statement About Relating to Malidoma Somé’s Teachings

You may have become aware recently, like I did, that writer and teacher Francis Weller had relationships with some of his students that were not wholly appropriate or consensual, given the power imbalance and vulnerability that can be present between a student and their teacher.

In one of the articles I read about this situation, "Accountability Beyond Banishment" by Holly Truhlar, there was a footnote about it being a relatively open secret that Dagara writer, teacher, and ritualist Malidoma Patrice Somé had sexual relationships with students as well. I was never aware that these harms occurred and have not been able to find more information about it since.

Despite not having any other evidence of what went on, Somé's work has been such an integral part of my learning and teaching in the last few years that I feel a call to acknowledge that I'm aware of this accusation and bring an intentional response to it.

I learned about Malidoma Patrice Somé's teachings in 2024 from a man who goes by the moniker Old School Nate. Learning about a new approach to ancestral and land connection was incredibly enlivening, and I have been so blessed by much about these teachings. That said, the way that these teachings were delivered ultimately came to reflect the patriarchal lineage that they were a part of, and I experienced a hatefulness and misogyny that ended up causing me to leave Old School Nate's container. In light of this, it did not surprise me to learn that Somé himself may have abused his position of power relative to his students, many of whom were women.

There is a level of complexity here, however, that makes this far from a simple story. As Somé writes about in his autobiography, Of Water and Spirit, he also experienced abuse at the hands of the Catholic priests who kidnapped him. Not only that, but I am a white-bodied woman who weaves his teachings into my classes, which are a primary source of income for me and my family. While I have directed students to Somé's books, I never paid him or his estate directly for the information that was passed down to me freely. 

All of this leaves me wondering, not for the first time, do we separate the teachings from the teacher, or is what I've learned too tainted by a legacy of colonization and patriarchy to be useful? If Somé did indeed abuse his position as a teacher, is it wrong to share what I learned from him? As a white woman, is it wrong to weave his teachings into the classes I'm getting paid for? 

There are no easy answers here, but after much contemplation, where I've landed is that I will continue pulling from Somé's teachings (those that I was given explicit, albeit imperfect, permission to share) with the caveat that he was an imperfect person inside of a terrible web of injustices. I will let students know ahead of time that I'm aware of accusations that have been made against him and am open to learning more if credible information comes forward. 

Thank you for reading this statement, and for being inside of these questions with me. May all of us stay low to the ground in this work, trusting not in human gurus, but in the safety and wisdom of the Earth and our ancestors who have become the Earth.