Vodou

This week in class we discussed Haitian art and vodou religion. Vodou is a complex belief system that took me a while to understand. People often times mistake vodou for voodoo but, they are actually very different. According to the reading we did for class by Karen McCarthy Brown it says that Vodou is the religion of 80% of the population of Haiti. Vodou is a combination that comes from several influences.

When learning about Vodou in class I began to realize that it is similar to other people’s religions that we have been studying. We learned that the spirits associated with Vodou are not idealized but they are what they are and there are many, many spirits in Vodou. Through watching a DVD and reading about Mama Lola I was able to understand Vodou better. In the essay it talks about Mama Lola and the possession that occurs as she embodies the spirit(s). This also made me think of Bamana’s Masquerades in that when they are performing the masks that they are embodied with the spirit of that mask. While watching the DVD I was able to see the possession happen after they called the spirit(s) and gave sacrifices.

Another thing that we discussed in class was the influence of Catholicism in Haitian culture. We looked at several different chromolithographs. In the chromolithograph of Mater Dolorsa it shows a dark skinned woman and a child. It is comparable to the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ and through this it is an example of how Catholicism has influenced Haitian art and beliefs.

I am happy that I was able to learn about Mama Lola and Haitian art. I am glad that I now am able to understand some of the history behind Vodou. I also enjoyed learning about the complexity of Vodou as a religion. The videos were helpful in that we could see how the dance/performance was done and how they were able to embody the spirits. I look forward to continuing to learn more about African art and culture.