Crippled by Voodoo

The drummers pounded out a rhythm while others danced and chanted. As the intensity of the drums increased the dancing became more frenetic. A woman dropped to the ground, was helped up and resumed dancing - but differently. She continued on for hours, possessed by a spirit called a Loa. There are many Loa. Some are responsible for facets of nature; others are spirits of deceased relatives.

Haitians feed the Loa through animal sacrifices. The sacrifice is cooked, left so the Loa can consume its "soul," and then eaten by the participants. It's hard to underestimate the importance of the Loa in Haitian culture. People believe all of life is controlled by them and that a properly cared for Loa will provide benefits, while a Loa who is ignored will bring illness and even death. They're practically tangible and believers readily perceive their presence.

It's said that Haiti is "70% Catholic, 30% Protestant and 100% Voodoo." This may be an exaggeration, but you get the point. Voodoo's roots are in West Africa and it was carried to the West Indies by slaves brought to work on plantations. It was seen as a threat to the colonial system and banned. Catholicism was imposed, slaves were baptized, and they attended mass. But despite punishment by whipping, imprisonment or hanging they continued to practice voodoo and even managed to weave it into the Catholic belief system.

The faiths have similarities. Each believes in spiritual entities, an afterlife and rituals of sacrifice. Christian saints can be seen as Loa; an elderly Loa named Legba opens the gates to the world of the Loa just as St. Peter mans the gates of heaven.

But there are big differences, including free will and self-determination. Voodoo teaches that everyone's life is governed by the Loa and, consequently, they're focused on their ancestors, a pantheon of spirits and the afterlife. According to Lawrence Harrison in The Wall Street Journal, "a Haitian child is made to understand that everything that happens is due to the spirits."

Christianity offers a free will that gives Christians the belief that he can direct his own life and affect his world. The passivity of voodoo is in stark contrast to the Christian can-do attitude.

It's not a racial thing. Haitians overthrew the French in 1804 and established a culture dominated by voodoo and memories of the slave experience. Voodoo was central as poverty became a way of life. But slaves were also imported to the Caribbean Island of Barbados that today is stable and enjoys considerable prosperity. The difference is that it remained a British colony for centuries during which voodoo was diminished. Barbadans adopted Christianity and benefited from it.

Forget about voodoo dolls, zombies, sorcery, witch doctors and black magic. A culture based on the belief that you are not in control of your life does the real damage. In a very real way, the power of voodoo has crippled an entire nation.


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