Haitian Vodou

The word Vodou, also known as Voodoo, means “spirit” or “deity” in the languages of West Africa. It is a religion that encompasses philosophy, medicine, and justice. The creator of both the universe and the spirits is understood to be the God of the Christian Bible; however, because the religion was established before people were able to read or write; therefore, there is no sacred text or central authority. Spanning centuries and continents the religion has morphed into hundreds of…

To comprehend the allure that Voodoo has on people, I need to understand what Voodoo is and its origin. In the article, “ What is Voodoo? Understanding a Misunderstood Religion,” published by The Huffington Post, Saumya Arya Haas notes that Voodoo originated in West Africa 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. It is a combination of African, Catholic, and Native American religions. Voodoo has no scripture. Voodoo embraces the whole of human experience and is practiced by those who feel imperfect (Arya). I…

Maya Angelou, a renowned American poet once said ‘We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated’. Being a poet of African descent, she was able to manifest this in her poems by making a connection to Africa and its history. Similarly, David Diop, a contemporary of Angelou was of African descent but he was born and raised in France. Even so, he spent a significant amount of time in West Africa which helped him connect with his mother nation. His works were mainly on political…

enveloped my vision. Four years earlier, following the earthquake that devastated Haiti, seeing it remain in ruins, made my heart sink. Before I realized it, the plane’s wheels landed on the Haitian soil and we were on our way to meet Ken and Andrea Taylor- a couple that has devoted their lives to assisting the Haitian people with medical help. That same afternoon we bumped our way…

possible happen to those who are the most vulnerable, not just once, but over and over again. Pitt does many different things in his article to get a certain message across to his readers. First of all, Pitt gave a description of what the Haitian people's actions were after the earthquake…

such a great week! This will be an amazing experience because we will be doing something for someone else that can have a tremendous impact on their lives.Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere about 80 percent of the rural Haitian population lives in poverty.Because of both violence and AIDS, Haiti has the highest percentage of orphans of any country in the Western Hemisphere.Haiti is a direct target to many hurricanes and earthquake leading to significant amounts of…

The Haitian government had nothing short of a vendetta against all reporters and journalists. Because of this Lelenne had to go into hiding where she was almost discovered multiple times. At one point she even had to leave the country for about three months…

In 1804 the outcome of the Haitian Revolution resulted in French- African slaves winning the war, taking control of the government, and kicking out of the country, every and any Frenchmen or Roman Catholic archetype in the land. This event is known to be the only occasion that ever transpired in victory for any type of slaves in recorded history. It has been traditionally known among the people of Haiti that it was by invoking the fighting spirit and asking for his spiritual guidance.The…

Jean Pierre Boyer was a mulatto of mixed African and European descent, who was educated in France and who tried to stop a severe decline in the Haitian economy. He served with the mulatto leader Alexandre Sabès Pétion and the black leader Henry Christophe after they had killed the Haitian independence leader and self-proclaimed emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines in 1806. He then served with Pétion against Christophe, and, after these two leaders had died, he succeeded in unifying the country in…

The Haitian Revolution is commonly known as a slave revolt that took place in what was then the French colony of Saint-Domingue. It lasted from 1791 to 1804. It peaked with the elimination of slavery and the founding of the Republic of Haiti. The Haitian Revolution is broadly known as the only slave uprising that led to the founding of an American state free from slavery and ruled by non-whites and former captives. However, many have forgotten that women have played a huge role in forcibly…