Voodoo Easter in Haiti
By Sun News Publishing
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
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Haitians celebrated one of the most important Voodoo pilgrimages
of the year on Sunday, an event marked by drumming, sacrifices
and prophesying whether Haiti's new government can heal a
country reeling from President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's departure.
Carrying a heavy political significance this year, the pilgrimage
drew hundreds to Souvenance, a village 90 miles (145 kilometers)
north of Port-au-Prince, where followers made animal sacrifices
to the West African warrior spirit Ogoun and initiates danced
to dizzying drum beats. Founded by former slaves from the
kingdom of Dahomey -- now Benin -- this dusty village fringed
by cactus trees holds the ceremony during the annual Rara
carnival celebrated by Voodoo societies during Lent, when
bands of costumed drummers and dancers roam the countryside.
Dressed in white and wearing white satin scarves, initiates
chant and dance throughout the night to beckon spirits as
onlookers gather. Rum, cane liquor and herbs are offered to
appease a pantheon of spirits. On Sunday, initiates sacrificed
goats and held them overhead, the goats' blood dripping onto
their heads and white clothing.
Voodoo is one of Haiti's three constitutionally recognized
religions, along with Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
Under Aristide, the government legally sanctioned Voodoo marriages,
baptisms and other rites. Two-thirds of Haiti's 8 million
people are said to practice Voodoo, which worships one creator
and many spirits, or loas. "Voodoo is all about unity,"
said George Fernand, 63, a Voodoo houngan, or priest. "We're
hoping the new government will help bring us unity."
Some of the rebels who staged a revolt February 5 that ousted
Aristide on Feb. 29 held Voodoo ceremonies to launch their
insurgency. An offering to the Voodoo god of war burned in
Gonaives, the site of Haiti's declaration of independence
from France and where the revolt began. On Saturday night,
initiates gyrated in front of Wilfred Ferdinand, a rebel leader
known as "Little Wil." As a crowd spilled into the
dirt-floor peristyle, or Voodoo temple, Ferdinand and a friend
were given folding chairs to watch the ceremony. A houngan
visited the pair to give them a special blessing. White robes
are a feature of Voodoo rituals, like this one at Soukri where
spellbound women jump into a pool. "Voodoo allowed us
to accomplish a lot," said Ferdinand, guzzling beers
as he watched the dancing. "I've come to pay my respects
and see it all happen." The rebels have close ties to
Haiti's impoverished masses, while the nation's new U.S.-backed
interim government is composed of technocrats, many of whom
spent years abroad. Government representatives were expected
in Souvenance, but none had arrived by early Sunday. Interim
Prime Minister Gerard Latortue says the government will hold
elections 2005. But its transitional leaders need the support
of the masses to keep Haiti from unraveling. At least 300
people were killed in the rebellion. Some parts of the country
are still without police and international peacekeepers.
"The country needs security and it needs leaders who
can help stop the hunger that so many of us have," said
Roget Biename, 54, a resident of Souvenance, which like most
villages in Haiti is plagued with malnutrition and lack of
potable water. "If the government wants to earn our trust
they will have to work on all these things."
Voodoo rituals date back more than 400 years and have roots
among the Yoruba tribe, which comes from Tongo, Benin and
parts of Nigeria. The religion was banned several times, first
under French colonial rule, which forced slaves to hide their
faith by adopting Catholic saints to correspond to African
deities. Several presidents also outlawed it, but it surged
under dictator Francois Duvalier, or Papa Doc, who with his
top hat and glasses resembled Baron Samedi, guardian of the
dead. Because of deepening poverty, Voodoo -- which often
requires pricey offerings of alcohol and food to the spirits
-- has lost some followers. But most practice the religion.
"It's our culture," said Rodney Jean-Louis, 43,
a Haitian-American who came from Queens, New York, to participate
in the ceremony. "Whether I'm in New York or anywhere
else, the drums are going to beat in my blood."
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