6820: Re: 6807: Gays in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Moibibi@aol.com

Nina,

I do appreciate your concern for Vodou and Vodou matters.

I, also, agree with the fact that homosexuality happens in hounfò like 
anywhere else and that it is better tolerated there than in other religion. 
However, I disagree with those who do any type of  "advertising" on the 
subject since homosexuals are accepted but not looked for, as anyone else, as 
a matter of fact.

On the subject of Vodou and Constitution, I appreciate your references but 
you don't take in consideration the most important fact which is that VODOU, 
up to this day, IS NOT RECOGNIZED AS A RELIGION. It is still viewed and 
sanctioned as "pratiques superstitieuses".  Every month, a PNH (Police 
Nationale Haitienne) spokesperson announces to the press the amount of 
persons emprisonned or arrested for different motives. Hougans, manbos, bokos 
belong still to that list for conducting "superstitious practices", while, in 
reality, they just practice their own religion.  Furthermore, if you aren't 
convinced, just check the various CEP (Conseil Electoral Provisoire) that 
have been formed since the birth of our new constitution. You will see that 
different religious delegates are to be represented and Vodou is never 
mentioned. 

Not being present at the conference with Vodouists at the National Palace in 
1995, I don't know what was said. However, since that time, there has been 
numerous oecumenical meetings and Vodou has never been included.  Not 
withstanding the fact that from this unique meeting you mentioned in five 
years, there has never been any concretization of any of the demands, which 
lets one to conclude that is was purely demagoguery.

To the best of my knowledge, Bode Nasyonal and Zantray are two organizations 
which were formed precisely to define Vodou as a whole. It was always 
pretexted that Vodou was too diffused to maintain a dialogue. Since then, 
time has proved that organized or not Vodou remains unrecognized and beyond 
government concern. Unfortunately, Herard Simon who had worked so hard to 
organize Zantray has died, his wife änd household has been "dechouké" and I 
don't know who took his place at the head of his organization. His good 
friend, Max Beauvoir who founded the Bode Nasyonal who lives nine month 
abroad and three months in Haiti each year, has tried to maintain the 
cohesion of the movement. For being a member of that organization, I know 
that the government has never initiated any communication.

For all the above-mentioned reasons and many others, I am rather skeptical on 
the government acceptation of Vodou as a bona-fide religion in Haiti.

Bébé Pierre Louis