We’ve passed the six month anniversary of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. The quake killed nearly a quarter of a million people, and over a million are still homeless. After the quake, this blog tried to focus on the often unheard and maligned voice of Haitian Vodou within this tragedy. First we had to deal with triumphalist smears concerning Haiti’s history from a noted Christian pot-stirrer, then there was a veritable onslaught of of pundits, many of whom had never set foot in Haiti, opining on how Vodou was the main detriment to its forward progress and recovery.
“The kind of religion one practices makes a huge difference in how the community lives — for better or for worse. I suppose it’s at least arguable that the Haitians would be better off at the Church of Christopher Hitchens rather than as followers of voodoo.“ - Rod Dreher, Beliefnet
But amidst the wave of stunningly wrong-headed criticism, there were also several pro-Vodou voices, within and without Haiti, that came to the fore. Most notably Max Beauvoir, the appointed “supreme master” of a coalition of Haitian houngans, who ended up being the de facto voice for Haitian Vodou to the Western press in the months after the quake. While I counselled reporters to remain aware of the decentralized nature of Haitian Vodou, the much-publicized attack on Vodouisants by evangelical Christians in Haiti, and its aftermath, created little room for nuance in those hectic first weeks (not to mention tensions over insensitive and controversial missionary activities). Sadly, the centrality of Vodou in Haitian society was often ignored, though there were the occasional nods in that direction.
So where are we six months later? While aid has been pouring in, there have been many accusations that reconstruction is going too slowly, or in the wrong direction, prompting a “blame game” amongst various parties. Longtime Haiti activist and advocate Dr. Paul Farmer says that the U.S. needs to allow Haiti to lead reconstruction efforts if the country is to survive, while Haitian-born human rights attorney and Vodouisant Ezili Dantò (aka Marguerite Laurent), echoing Farmer, says that some U.S. aid initiatives are more geared towards corporate profits than uplifting the Haitian people.
“Instead of enabling the millions of small Haitian farmers to become food self-sufficient by growing rice, millet, corn and a variety of fruits and vegetables, however, [U.N. envoy Bill] Clinton has announced that Coca-Cola will be running a project to use Haitian fields to grow mangoes for a new drink. In the last six months, a number of industrial parks have been built by foreign corporations to take advantage of Haiti’s $3-a-day minimum wage. The “new Haiti” after the earthquake is not much different from the old Haiti the United States has been attempting to bring forth for two centuries: a place governed by business-oriented Haitian technocrats who take their marching orders from Washington.”
There do seem to be growing signs of tensions between the struggling Haitian government and the United States, Haitian President Rene Preval has rejected U.S. Senate recommendations on holding an election for his successor, though an election date in November has been set (Preval is prevented from running again under Haitian law). It was noted that the National Confederation of Haitian Vodou had a hand in helping to select the eight-member Provisional Electoral Council. As to who will be President, that seems to be anyone’s guess. Singer and activist Wyclef Jean is supposedly mulling a run, though some Haitian commentators think he hasn’t met all the requirements to do so.
As for coverage of religion in Haiti, not much of it has focused on Vodou. Though there was a nice article from last week about a yearly pilgrimage to the Saut-d’Eau waterfall in the town of Ville-Bonheur, venerated both by Catholics and Voudisants for its healing properties.
“She needs Erzulie Dantor’s help, she said. As she spoke of her wish, a crowd began to gather a few feet away. A female worshiper was calling Erzulie, hoping to invoke her presence. “The spirit that is here in the yard, come and grant me my chance,” the woman sang. “Erzulie Freda bring me luck. If there is a spirit in the yard, I will name its name and adore it.” As she sang, the pitch of her voice began to crack. She seemed to be in a trance, her lithe body falling onto the rocks. As others watched — now believing that Erzulie had possessed her — revelers rushed to her side, whispering their demands in her ears, sure they were speaking to the goddess.”
There were also some photo essays of the recent Plain Du Nord Festival, which draws thousands of Vodou practitioners. But beyond that, not much else.
Haiti is in a perilous situation. The massive tent cities are at the mercy of the weather should a hurricane hit the already-struggling country. Lawlessness and rampant sexual violence are an ongoing problem, and the country could easily collapse politically. If the birthplace of Haitian Vodou with its rich culture of arts and music is to continue, it is imperative that we don’t allow it to fall off our radar. It isn’t so much a question of donations now (though you can still do that), but of making sure those who hold the purse-strings chart the country on a course of renewal and self-sufficiency. To make sure the first priority are the people of Haiti, not the profits of outside interests. While I know we face our own problems at home, I hope we don’t lose sight of Haiti, especially at this crucial moment in history.
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