Kreyolman, one thing i've noticed is that black people can be the most anti-black group alive. For some reason or another, we just do not respect ourselves and what we do. Haitians came to Saint Domingue (Haiti before liberation) to work extremely hard for free. We were sold by our own African brethren who sided with greedy blancs that wanted to make some money. It is crazy how the Fon fought the Yoruba only to end up both under the hands of the French, English, Dutch, Spanish and the British. Neg Nago kon't neg Fon goumen and ended up nan esklavaj in a foreign land. Can you believe that bro? Now, we have been able to keep much of our pre slave and slave history in vodou. Vodou is a history book, where the different deities are under different rites, Kongo, Nago, Rada etc. By looking into these things we can learn about ourselves a great deal. With the music we can create more beats and have some of the best music in the world. With the herbs we can have laboratories all over Haiti testing these herbs to see what makes them work and what we can get out of it.
Why is it that Europeans and many Asians can respect their crafts but we can't? If Europeans did not respect themselves, they would not develop many things. In order to do algebra you have to learn how to add one plus one. Therefore, when the Europeans passed down the methods of adding to the next generation, that generation was able to build on that. That is why they ended up developing a science that worked well for them. They wrote down what they did and passed it on. We have vodou and we can extract all the necessary things from it that would benefit Haitian society and other societies in the world! It is no wonder that there are many western scientists asking bokors how they poison people in zombification so that they can use it for medical purposes. Why are Chinese herbs praised so much while we put ours down or have certain Haitians who use the herbs for destruction?
The fact that bokors (sorcerers) use Vodou to hide behind, shows that we do not respect our crafts. Something that could be used for good, that is used for good is being used as a hiding spot for evil. Vodou is not evil but some disrespectful Haitians try to say they are doing vodou but instead use herbs as weapons. These people should be dealt with but because so many ignorant Haitians rather just throw bokorism and Vodou in the same pile, we can not smoke out the problem and pounce on it! So many Haitians instead just say well this person who wants to kill this person is doing vodou. That person put a hex on that person so it is vodou. One person dies of AIDS and it is vodou. Someone drinks bad Haitian water and dies because of bacteria died because of vodou. It is sad! That shows a lack of love and respect for what we have does it not?
I am no vodouizan, but I respect Vodou. I respect it because it is a religion with many aspects like any other religion. Their maji, is the Christian miracle, their lwas are like Catholic Saints. The difference in Vodou is that they have herbs that play a vital part in the religion. You can't do Vodou just like someone can't do Protestantism. You can practice Vodou just as someone can practice Evangialism. Some Christian churches believe in being possessed by the holy spirit just as Vodouists are possessed by lwas. Despite me not being a vodouist, I recognize and respect my fellow Haitians that practice it. Just as the first spear was used to kill an animal to eat the first herbs were probably used to heal. Remember that many things that begin as things for good are used for bad by certain individuals. That does not mean you throw out the whole thing but you make sure that you take care of those that turn the other way. That won't happen when you accuse the wrong people by calling the whole religion "devil worship."
-----------------
The most effective policy towards Haiti is that of the Haitian people
|
Topic: Vodou
Kreol Man, 
