Defending Vodou in Haiti

While perception of Haiti as synonymous with Vodou reigns in public imagination, especially abroad, within the republic the religion is under attack again.

Vodouists and supporters from all over Haiti and its diaspora took to the streets of Port-au-Prince yesterday (Oct. 17) to protest against a governmental decree that jeopardizes religious autonomy in the country.

At issue is an amendment to the Haitian Constitution that had been prepared under President Préval's administration, which current President Michel Martelly promulgated in the official newspaper Le Moniteur on June 19. It was approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The amendment repeals Article 297 established in 1987, which in effect declared the cessation of all laws and government decrees that arbitrarily restricted citizens' fundamental rights and liberties, including the decree law of Sept. 5, 1935 on superstitious practices. This law passed by then President Sténio Vincent outlawed "superstitious practices" prohibiting ceremonies, rites, dances and meetings with offerings of animal sacrifices.

University of Miami Associate Professor of History, Kate Ramsey, author of "The Spirits and the Law: Vodou and Power in Haiti" notes:

The décret-loi against "superstitious practices" technically criminalized the practice of Vodou in Haiti until its abrogation by Article 297 of the Constitution of 1987. If with the recent abrogation of Article 297 the law against 'superstitious practices' can once again be enforced against Vodou practitioners and anyone else, that is very alarming. This law was the authorizing legal basis for the Catholic Church's 'antisuperstition campaign' against the practice of Vodou in the early 1940s and remained a check on religious freedom in Haiti, subject to arbitrary local enforcement, for years thereafter.

Indeed, practitioners are rightfully concerned since the establishment of this decree not only led to the persecution of the religion but reinforced its continuous demonization and stigmatization both at home and abroad. Since Vodou is a decentralized religion, in such troubled times Vodouists have consolidated their efforts to withstand and survive repression whether from the hand of French colonialists or their own brethren.

In recent years, defensive tactics have included the formation of umbrella organizations (such as Zantray and Bode Nasyonal) that brought practitioners together to address common concerns. It must be noted that these groupings are not necessarily representative of all Vodouists and are not without controversy. Nonetheless, with the persistent presence of protestant missions and increasingly aggressive spiritual cleansings and other attacks especially since the 2010 earthquake, Vodouists have become increasingly vulnerable and have to be on the offensive.

Anthropologist Rachel Beauvoir Dominique, Vice-Provost of research and Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at l'Université d'Etat d'Haïti, a priestess, remains vigilant about defending the practice. She is the daughter of Max Beauvoir, renowned priest of the Temple of Yehwe and public representative of Vodou. She took part in the big march held in February 1986, when anti-Vodou sentiments led to the persecution of practitioners during the Duvalier dechoukaj (uprooting). The efforts of protesters and their demands to end this criminalization eventually brought about Article 297, which was added to the 1987 Constitution. As this recurring battle ensues, Dominique remains motivated, ready:

"We need to ORGANIZE. Petition, march, do all that is necessary to show our outrage. Rise up out of the shadows to force change. This works. Especially as we are now also much more international, though we need to network much harder."

This repeal of Article 297 also touches those of us in the diaspora who know only too well the potential impact of this official attack. To that end, the Congress of Santa Barbara (KOSANBA), the scholarly association for the study of Haitian Vodou based at the University of California, Santa Barbara, issued a statement in which it "pledged to continue its work of defense and illustration of Vodou as a Haitian national patrimony that is so integral to the country's future in its task of maintaining equilibrium and improving conditions in this earthly station."

Late this summer, a petition from the KONFEDERASYON NASYONAL VODOUIZAN AYISYEN (National Confederation of Haitian Vodouists) has been circulating online to gather signatures from international supporters. Some of the demands include:

• That full dignity be returned to Vodou immediately as the cultural and religious tradition of the Haitian people.
• The removal of this infamous revocation (i.e the abrogation of Article 297).
• The immediate release of all Vodouists unjustly imprisoned under false pretenses with such vile and malicious intent.

In Haiti, the Fondation Ayizan Velekete, an organization created in 2001 to support the Vodouists has been organizing the protest taking place today. They chose this particular date in Haitian history because it marks the 206th anniversary of the brutal assassination of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the revolutionary founding father of the black republic who led the liberation from French colonial tyranny.

Indeed, at stake for Vodouists everywhere but especially in Haiti is the issue of freedom.

 

Follow Gina Athena Ulysse on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ginaathena

Comments

[Deidra Sexton Somerville]

01:45 PM on 11/05/2012

It is not an accident that this is coming on the heels of the recent propaganda campaign of the Catholic Church to the African Diaspora. This is the tip of the iceberg, unfortunately.

[brokerthanu]

12:47 AM on 10/21/2012

"If with the recent abrogation of Article 297 the law against 'superstitious practices' can once again be enforced against Vodou practitioners and anyone else, that is very alarming. This law was the authorizing legal basis for the Catholic Church's 'antisuperstition campaign' against the practice of Vodou in the early 1940s..."

The idea of the Catholic Church accusing anything of being "superstitious" is hilarious beyond belief.

[PATOISJAM]

03:06 PM on 10/19/2012

What are the accomplishments of this religion? Has it made people think more morally? DId it make them concerned and caring about their surroundings? Did it make them more appreciative of the environment? Having a religion around just for the sake of having it around is pointless.

[brokerthanu]

12:49 AM on 10/21/2012

That's what could be said of xtianity.

Spiritual expression need not be understood by outsiders to be an intrinsic right.

[PATOISJAM]

07:49 AM on 10/21/2012

Except when given by Almighty God.

[firedrops]

11:54 AM on 10/23/2012

Vodou morality is focused on ensuring group cohesion (being fair and sharing with your neighbors), duties to your family (especially children and elders), and maintaining justice. Balance is of utmost importance so that violence, unjustified anger, destroying the environment, etc are all bad things that are punished by the spirits and harm the community. The land around them is considered sacred and a space that is infused with spirits. Ideally, people should ask permission before cutting down a tree, for example. Many Vodou priests and priestesses are healers not just through religious means but because they know how to use local leaves and plants as medicines and how to set bones. Access to medical services is still quite limited in rural areas, so this is important. They also provide basic counseling to people going through tough times, emergency housing in the temple for people who lose their homes or are running away from an abusive boyfriend, free food to the poor, and these networks of practitioners have moral obligations to help one another. In the cities, people are disconnected from their traditional family structure and kin networks. Initiations into Vodou groups makes someone a spiritual child of the priest or priestess and a sibling to all other initiations - meaning they suddenly get a family network and all the obligations and benefits that go along with that. These relationships provide comfort, assistance, and a leg up when trying to get ahead since almost everything in Haiti is done through networks.

[Pepe Lepieux]

01:37 PM on 10/19/2012

When will someone write something more enlightening about Haiti other than Voodoo, zombie, violence, poverty, etc? Next time you want to write about Haiti, try to find another topic that's more informative and with a more positive beat, because this voodoo thing is getting old, yuk !

[brokerthanu]

12:58 AM on 10/21/2012

Really? We must have read different articles because the one I read was about the attack on freedom-of-religion in Haiti. Not much was said about Vodou.

[Heru1]

04:07 PM on 10/30/2012

Vodou is enlightening. Stop betraying African culture.

[busterggi]

01:22 PM on 10/19/2012

I can honestly say I've never met a Wiccan, Voodoin or Santa Rian that I didn't get along with.

I can't say that about Christians.

[TomMartin]

08:38 AM on 10/19/2012

A flawed democracy restricting religious freedom? It would not be the only one, we have seen similar restrictions in Pakistan and other countries. It is sad of course, but then even here in the US monotheism is favored on our coins and our Pledge of Allegiance. Though at least we don't go as far as banning religions.