#2757: A reply to Antoine

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From:Moibibi@aol.com

I feel that you are pervaded by many preconceived ideas and you would like to 
see them rebutted in a manner acceptable to you, to better defend yourself  
in a very intolerant society.

For instance: how many so ignorant mothers do you personally know to have 
killed their babies by crushing cockroaches in their milk? I, sincerely, 
think that most babies who die in their infancy, die of dysentery, from 
undrinkable water in places where there is no drinkable water.

On that subject, it may be news to you but you should know that until the 
missionaries invaded the country and started explaining to their disciples 
that Lwas didn't exist, there was clean water holes, springs, etc.  They were 
sacred places for spirits such as Agaou, Simbi and others. They could only be 
used to take water, not to wash clothes, not to bring their cattle to drink 
nor to urinate or defecate. Today it's a different story, those places are 
quite polluted. I prefer the time when they were respected and we didn't have 
those terrible health problems. 

I have heard a doctor in Haiti blaming a Hougan for treating burns by 
covering it with spider web and sending them to bath at Source puante. I have 
also heard here, in the United States of America that spider webs had 
specific components excellent for the treatment of burns as well as sulfur. 
Can the Haitian people be blamed for doing with what nature offers them?

You should also know that there are very few doctors in the country side and 
that docte fey, Hougans and Mambos have done a very good job in helping the 
general health of the Haitian people. I have seen babies dying of tetanos in 
the hospital when many traditional doctors can treat this horrible decease 
quite well!

The knowledge we have inherited from our forefathers is quite useful for 
those who don't have the means nor the knowledge to buy western medicine. It 
is also much safer. Do you know that outdated drugs are frequently sold in 
pharmacies, that medications which should be kept refrigerated are also sold 
after having been kept on shelf  for months at a temperature of 85 degrees?

Now, do you sincerely think that Vodoun who never gets a penny from anyone 
should start schools? What about the Government who spends billions of US $ 
in the name of the Haitian people (see our national debt)? Don't shift the 
responsibilities, please.

Don't count on me to educate the Vodouists that their religion is nothing but 
agglomerated superstitions. Vodoun is our history, culture and religion and, 
personally, I don't see much else to be proud of.

I recommend you to read  www.Vodou.org, the article "Of Herbs and Energies", 
it might help in changing some of your presupposed ideas. 

Bébé Pierre Louis