DAKAR, June 19 - France striker Djibril Cisse should return to Africa to seek traditional healing after a broken leg stopped him from playing in the World Cup, his father said on Monday.

"I think he should turn to his roots to get his form back and to be at peace with himself," Mangue Cisse told Senegal's official news agency APS.

"We are Africans and there are things known only to us," the father of the Liverpool striker added.

Traditional healing is deeply rooted in West African culture and many people believe that wearing a talisman called a 'gris-gris' protects them from bullets, knives, plane crashes, and even from getting pregnant.

Cisse, who is from Ivory Coast, missed the Euro 2004 tournament due to injuries and had to skip this year's World Cup after he broke his leg during a warm-up game against China a day before his team left for Germany.

"You should recognise that he has a lot of problems and the solution can be found here in Africa, notably in Ivory Coast close to his family," said his father, who played soccer for Arles in the French second division.