12018: One little misconception about Vodou (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Racine125@aol.com

I must disagree with Edy Sanon, as much as I like his exposition, when he says that because "Haitians of any other faith have core hidden faith in Vodou, no matter what socio-economic status is" (which is true), that "It is therefore safe to state that Vodou is a Haitian hidden religion."

Sanon goes on to say that, "Probably the state of reaction of the western civilization on Haitians dictates them not to practice Vodou openly... they however practice or consult Vodou for all aspects of their lives".

Edy, you're absolutely right that Haitians of other religions, Catholics and even Protestants, believe in Vodou.  That is to say, they believe that the lwa exist, they believe that Houngans and Mambos have power to manipulate spiritual forces in ways that can affect the lives of others, for better or worse.  It's not that they don't believe, it's that some of them, especially Protestants, reject Vodou in favor of other affiliations.

You're make a little mistake, though, and excuse me for being so blunt, when you conclude that because some Haitians secretly believe in Vodou, that Vodou therefore is a hidden religion.  On the contrary!  Our peristyles, as I have noted in previous posts, are large, colorful, obvious structures.  Our dances are open to the public, and are social events as much as religious ceremonies.  We play drums, we sing - the level of sound is comparable to a reggae concert!  We are not especially concerned about what "Western civilization" thinks of us, to be perfectly frank.

More than that, Houngans and Mambos in Haiti get far and away much more respect that pastors or ministers or Catholic priests in the USA, for example.  A person who becomes initiated as a hounsi or a Houngan or a Mambo is considered extremely fortunate, and their entire family will pool resources to cover the expenses of the person undergoing the kanzo (initiation) ceremony.  And that family, once the member is kanzo, is very, very proud of that member!

(By the way, for a look at what initiation in Vodou is like, check this URL:

http://www.RootsWithoutEnd.com/init02.html  )

We have public cultural events - Rara, for example, is the public expression of the strength, membership and wealth of Vodou congregations all over Haiti.  Carnival brings out "ban a pye", foot bands, that are simply peristyle groups singing and drumming in the street.  The famous "Zel Mathurin" groups in Jacmel, consisting of dozens of men costumed as winged devils, jungle animals, and other fantastical characters, are also centered in peristyles.  And again in Jacmel, once a year, we hold a "spiritual procession" during Fet Gede, the annual day of reverence for the ancestors, in which hundreds of Vodouisants march through town.

Vodou singers like Wawa and Azor, have built recording careers producing versions of traditional and original Vodou songs.  These individuals are not anthropologists or ethnologists, they are Vodouisants giving creative expression to their religion.  Their recordings are sold everywhere in Haiti and are played on dozens of radio stations.

Those who hide their belief in Vodou are more apt to come to us for magical work, as opposed to religious ceremony.  Unfortunately, the magical work they desire is most likely to be malevolent in character - I wish I had a dollar for every Protestant pastor who ever came to a Houngan or Mambo hoping to cause the death of a competing pastor, every Protestant or Catholic society matron who ever came hoping to cause the death of the "outside woman" with whom her husband was enthusiastically committing adultery, every businessman who ever came hoping to cause the death of his competitor!

Remarkably, when we inform such individuals that we do not hold the power of life and death in our hands, and that even if we could kill their nemesis, we would not - when we suggest alternative strategies or refer the homicidal client to a bokor, who can indeed do such work (aided by a little bribery and poison), these same clients look at us with disbelief and insist that we are indeed perfectly capable and could oblige them if we had a mind to do so!

Peace and love,

Bon Mambo Racine Sans Bout Sa Te La Daginen

"Se bon ki ra" - Good is rare
     Haitian proverb

The VODOU Page - http://members.aol.com/racine125/index.html

(Posting from Jacmel, Haiti)