Something that bothered me about the coverage of Haiti.

[Withywindle]

So this morning, CNN reported on Haitians performing a Catholic Mass in the open air, cue usual platitudes about faith and hope, etcetera.

All well and good, but I find the complete lack of any mention of Vodou to be a form of white-washing. Vodou IS a major religion in Haiti. And it IS a religion, every bit as legitimate as Catholicism (and, due to the syncretization of the African lwa with Catholic saints, many Haitians are both and see no contradiction.)

Here's a very good interview with a practitioner about what Vodou is and isn't:

http://www.erzulies.com/site/articles/view/6


I understand why people who JUST DON'T GET IT might want to ignore "controversial" aspects of Haitian culture, but to me that just reinforces the idea that Vodou is something to be ashamed of, a "social problem," not a real and beautiful and complex religious faith that is VERY strongly rooted in the Haitian peoples' struggle and resistance. That's what Pat Robertson meant by the "deal with the devil" - during the Haitian revolution, the Haitian people had the audacity to pray to their OWN gods, not the slaveholders' god.