Vodou Roundup
It’s time to turn to the troubled nation of Haiti, to examine a few stories concerning that country and the African diasporic religion that emanates from there: Haitian Vodou (one of modern Paganism’s religious “cousins”). First, Jennifer Kay of the Associated Press files a report of how Haitian practitioners of Vodou living abroad are balancing their spiritual obligations with sending financial help to their familes in a year that has seen continuing economic hardship and a series of tropical storms that have rocked the tiny island nation. November, usually a month for lavish celebrations, is decidedly more somber this year, and drastically scaled back as a result of these recent events.
“Hours before the “sacred carnival,” Josue and a handful of vodouisants gathered before a small altar to pay special homage to the nearly 800 storm victims and those killed in the Nov. 7 school collapse. He had expected at least 20 people for the daytime service. But many have reserved their extra cash to help relatives in impoverished Haiti. They told Josue they couldn’t afford the gas for driving to the outskirts of Miami twice in the same day. And when they came for the night service, they would wear the same black and purple clothes they had on last year, not being afford new things. “And there’s only one goat,” Josue said and sighed. In the past, many guests laid offerings on the altars adorned with decorative skulls in black top hats. This year, they spent what they could to honor the dead, while still trying to support the living, Josue said. ‘I don’t think the Gede [the spirits of the dead] will be offended,’ Josue said. ‘They will be concerned about the condition of the world, because they have a lot of work to do now.’”
Meanwhile in Haiti, a remarkable thing happened this weekend. Several gay and HIV+ Haitians outed themselves and marched in honor of World AIDS Day. Haiti, which is very socially conservative, is a dangerous place to be openly gay, and many gay men in Haiti avoid social programs for fear of harassment.
“Haiti has long fought stigmatization and discrimination after its migrants were some of the first AIDS cases identified in the United States. Unfounded beliefs that Haitians caused the epidemic helped decimate the country’s tourism industry. The country has since been a success story, with its HIV infection rate falling from 5.9 percent in 1996 to 2.2 percent today — due in part to programs like the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which has given Haiti more than $320 million since 2004. The deaths of people with HIV also contributed to the decline. But gay men remain at risk because they hide from social programs due to prejudice and harassment, despite making up one-tenth of reported HIV cases in the Caribbean, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS reported.”
The gay men participating in the event proudly labeled themselves “masisi”, reclaiming a traditional Haitian slur for homosexuals. Pink News, who also reported on the story, noted that one of the few places that gays find acceptance in Haitian society is within Vodou.
“Haiti has one of the highest infection rates in the world and gay men and lesbians face stigma and homophobic attitudes, though the voodoo community is accepting of homosexuality.”
For more on Haitian Vodou and homosexuality, check out this this essay, and this Wikipedia page.
In a final note, a press release announces that Claudine Michel, chair and professor of black studies at UC Santa Barbara and director of the campus’s Center for Black Studies Research, has received the Haitian Studies Association Service Award.
“The award recognizes Michel’s commitment to the advancement of Haitian studies, particularly as editor of the association’s official publication, The Journal of Haitian Studies. The award was presented earlier this month at the organization’s annual meeting in Port Au Prince. The Haitian Studies Association is an international education organization that promotes research on Haiti. More specifically, the association is dedicated to encouraging new scholarship and modes of pedagogy about Haiti’s history and culture. The association also disseminates knowledge about Haiti in general and celebrates the scholarly achievements and contributions of those whose research interests focus on Haiti and its people.”
Michel is co-editor of “Haitian Vodou: Spirit, Myth, And Reality”
and “Vodou in Haitian Life and Culture: Invisible Powers”
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