Young 1
Stephanie Young
Writing Rhetoric II
Professor Ames- Hoffner, Coray
December 12, 2014
The Hidden Truth About Vodou( aka Voodoo)
When people first hear the word Vodou or Voodoo they automatically think of evil spells, zombies, witch doctors, animal sacrifices, and hexes. The African culture is known for their black magic. The word Voodoo brings fear and scary thoughts of being cursed or possessed by demons. Many storywriters, filmmakers, and animators used the stereotype Voodoo to put fear, suspense, and terror into their audiences. Movies like Interview with a Vampire, The Skeleton Key, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Walking Dead, and Scooby Doo: Zombie Island are just a few Hollywood movies that portrayed Voodoo as negative to millions of people around the world. In the Disney film, The Princess and the Frog, there is a villain named Doctor Facilier, who plays the stereotype Voodoo doctor tapping into dark magic that gives the wrong impression of Voodoo to young kids. Halloween uses Voodoo rituals of animal sacrifices, zombies, and skeleton bones as part of its storyline and uses zombies and skeleton bones as Halloween costumes. My family and friends think Voodoo is evil and that I should stay away from it. Most people that are Christians believe Voodoo is devil worshiping. A classmate, who is an Atheist, took a dare from his friends to have the Voodoo doctor curse him for a year. The Voodoo doctor did, and bad things started happening to him and his family. He regretted putting his family in danger. He blames himself for not believing that Voodoo curses are real. The entire world thinks Voodoo is evil. Voodoo is not evil. It is a good religion. But Voodoo changed when the Europeans came to the Caribbean around the 1500. The Europeans forcibly made slaves out of natives from West Africa and sent them to Haiti. The Europeans forbid them to worship Voodoo because it looked savagery and disturbing. Even though they were forbidden to worship Voodoo, the Haitians secretly did it anyway. The Haitians hated the Europeans for enslaving them, and they turned their belief from good Voodoo to dark Voodoo. Slavery and the Haitian hatred toward the Europeans started the tarnishing, shifting, and the misconception of the Vodou Religion.
The Europeans caused severe misery toward the Haitians. To understand the many changes in Voodoo is to understand the history, mystery, and commitment to the religion, why Europeans fear Voodoo, and what caused the misconception of the name.
My feelings about Voodoo are different. I never had any fears or concerns about Voodoo. When I see Voodoo on TV, it seemed cool. I like magic and fantasy. Seeing Voodoo on TV gave it an epic vibe and made me want to see more of it. As I continue researching about Voodoo, I became more interested and curious about it. I always felt and believed there is something out there in the Nothingness called the Spirit World. I am fascinated with learning about the Unknown. I believed there is more knowledge that goes beyond what we can grasp and understand. The more I learned about Voodoo, the more it reminds me of a story I was developing about creatures known by false rumors and not recognized for who they truly are. Their true identity was not revealed to the world, and they were seen as a threat. Voodoo is also misunderstood because of false rumors and false facts that turned into the media’s truth of what Voodoo is. The truth of Voodoo is not revealed because the secrets of Voodoo are only shared within the African race. The world fears what they do not know, understand, or control. Unknowingly, I think my story is a symbolic truth about the African culture. I asked my family and friends what they knew concerning Voodoo. My grandfather knows a little bit about Voodoo. He said, “When he was young; he heard scary stories about people being hexed and some dying from it. The bad Voodoo is called Hoodoo and to stay clear away from it.” After hearing different stories about Voodoo from family and friends, I was conflicted about my feelings of Voodoo, and I needed to investigate it further.
As my primary research, I chose to go to an Apostolic Church on 6320 South Kenwood, on the Southside of Chicago. On October 9, 2014, I went to church on a Sunday morning. The church is medium size with 500 members. The people in the neighborhood seemed friendly and kind. I assumed they go to the church. When I walked into the church, I noticed how beautifully the church is decorated. There is a long hallway with beautiful pictures on the wall. The front side of the church has white tiles, and the middle and back of the church have velvet red carpet. There is a bookstore on the right side of the hallway of the church. The bookstore sells books, bible teachings on CDs, flowers, cards, and movies to help raise money for the church. As I walked down the aisle, the first door is the lunch room. The next door in the middle of the hallway is the main church. Inside the main church, there are many rows of benches with blue soft cushion for the people to sit on. There are three sections of benches and an aisle that divides each section. At the front of the church is the stage where the pastor sits in the middle, and three or more assistant pastors sit on each side of him. The choir is behind the pastor and the assistant pastors. The band is on the right side of the assistant pastors in which they play beautiful inspirational music. The pastor preached his sermon and the choir sings when he is done. A collection plate is passed through each row. When the plate came to me, I put in a small donation and pass it to the lady next to me. The lady is elderly dressed in black. She wears a small flowered hat. She smiles at me for no reason. I tend to get that a lot.
Being in the main church, I feel good aura of spiritual energy. I always feel good spiritual energy in the church. Voodoo probably feels the same way about good spiritual energy: connecting to the spirit side. The people in the church are very friendly and welcoming. The warm feeling of kindness makes you want to come back to worship. I noticed a lot of younger people as well as older people here. There are more women than men. The older people would be my targeted audience. People fifty and over can tell me about Voodoo. The younger generation does not want to know anything about their African culture. The theme of the Church is saving souls and connecting to your creator. Christians are similar to Voodoo. They both want a closer relationship with God and to live a godly life. The older people seem to get it. They grew up with Voodoo. They are not deceived by society perception of the religion.
On October 19, 2014, I returned back to the Apostolic Church to interview anyone who may know something about Voodoo. I got my notepad and started to talk to several older people that looked 50 years and older. I believed that the older generation will know more about Voodoo than the younger generation. The older Black generation values their African customs and heritage more than the younger Black generation. I found a 76 year old man, named Mr. Parker, who knows a little about Voodoo. He said he was from Louisiana, the heart of Voodoo and has now lived in Chicago for over 50 years. His friend, Mr. Grizzley, who is about 75 years old, also knew a little about Voodoo, will also join in the conversation.
Stephanie: Hi, my name is Stephanie Young, and I’m doing a research paper about Voodoo. Do you know about Voodoo?
Parker: Yes, we do. We both grew up in the Deep South in Louisiana where Voodoo was famous.
Stephanie: Why do people fear Voodoo?
Parker: People don’t realize that Voodoo is a religion and not that craziness you see on TV that Voodoo puts a spell on you. Hollywood purposely misrepresented Voodoo as a bad and evil thing. Voodoo has no association with black magic, witchcraft, zombies, or Voodoo dolls.
Grizzley: Africans and Afro-Americans made Voodoo evil to make money. Tourists love that stuff so they kept it going.
Stephanie: Then, what is Voodoo?
Parker: Voodoo is a religion, a mixture of Roman Catholic and African religion. Voodoo believes in the spirit world where the spirits of your ancestors passed into the invisible world. Your deceased family members come back to the visible world to help guide, watch and protect you. Voodoo is a cultural mix of French, Spanish, and Creole.
Stephanie: Sometimes I feel something talking to me and warning me not to do certain things. Is that my guardian angel or my ancestors?
Grizzley: It is your family member that has passed on that is protecting you. You can do a ceremony dance and see the spirit dance alongside you.
Stephanie: Cool. Is there a Voodoo bible?
Parker: No, Voodoo is passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation.
Grizzley: A few Africans several years ago started to write a book about Voodoo. Hopefully, the young generation will want to learn about their heritage.
Stephanie: Why is Voodoo relevant today? Why are people drawn to it?
Parker: People are attracted to Voodoo because of the Voodoo magic portrayed by Hollywood. They want a spell to fall in love, to get rich, or put a curse on an enemy.
Grizzley: We are living in dark times. People are not interested in good or God. They are drawn to darkness and evil. The Bible says the future generation will not respect their elders and cling to darkness. You know the world will soon come to an end.
Stephanie: Is Voodoo Fon, the mother tongue of Voodoo?
Parker: I see you did your homework. Yes, it is. In Fon, Voodoo originated in Africa and means spirit or god. The natives of Africa speak Fon.
Stephanie: Is Voodoo similar to Christianity?
Parker: In a way yes. Christians pray to God for help and in Voodoo they pray to a good God for help. Voodoo is often used to cure depression, loneliness, and sickness.
Grizzley: The bad God is the one where black magic comes from. Voodoo is not about the bad god which Christians call him Lucifer.
Stephanie: How did Voodoo become an evil black magic with zombies and Voodoo dolls?
Parker: Louisiana Voodoo is confused with Haitian Voodoo and Southern Hoodoo, Haitian Voodoo and Southern Hoodoo deals with witchcraft, black magic, curses, and zombies.
Grizzley: Hollywood and a few Africans made the image of Voodoo evil to make Africa look bad to the rest of the world.
Stephanie: Why are people afraid to talk to anyone who practices Voodoo?
Parker: They are afraid a curse will be put on them.
Grizzley: The high priest and priestess have the power to communicate with the spirits and keep them in balance between their world and our world. If someone puts certain herbs in your food, your stomach will have knots. You need a high priest or priestess to remove the curse. People, who practice Hoodoo and not Voodoo, are the ones who use Voodoo dolls to curse their enemies.
Stephanie: Is Voodoo still practice today?
Parker: Yes, especially in New Orleans. It is slowly spreading worldwide but still not getting the recognition it deserves.
Stephanie: Is there laws against Voodoo?
Grizzley: There is a witchcraft law that fines and imprisons a person in casting spells, telling fortunes and conjuring spirits. They are punished as a con artist and not a witch.
Parker: They need to lock them up and throw away the key.
(Everyone laughs)
Stephanie: Can talking to spirits make you demon possess?
Grizzley: Hack yeah! You don’t mess with the other world or spirits. You don’t know what will jump inside of you.
Parker: Voodoo priest and priestess are known for talking to spirits. You have to be trained to know what spirits to talk to and what spirits to stay away from. A beginner should not play with spirits.
Stephanie: That sounds spooky. Can spirits affect other family members if one family member communicates to the spirits?
Parker: Not sure. I think the spirits communicate to the person who conjures them up. Are you talking about bad spirits?
Stephanie: Yes. Can they harm others in the family?
Grizzley: I don’t think so. They usually come in a person who knowingly or unknowingly invites them in. They need a preacher, priest, or priestess to exercise the demon out.
Stephanie: Which gender uses Voodoo spells the most?
Grizzley: That’s easy, Women folks. Women use Voodoo as a love potion to get a husband. They also use Voodoo to keep their husbands from leaving them. They put menstrual blood into the spaghetti sauce, and the husbands will love them to death.
Parker: That is why I don’t eat spaghetti or anything with tomato sauce.
(Everyone laughs)
Stephanie: I want to thank you for this interview. You have given me good information as well as fun entertainment.
Grizzley: You are welcome darling. Anytime you need more information just come on by and visit me.
Parker: That goes for me also. It was a joy talking to you.
Stephanie: Thank you so much.
As I left the church, I was amazed how friendly Mr. Grizzley and Mr. Parker were in sharing their knowledge of Voodoo. Weeks later, I went to my second primary research. I wanted to visit an African Voodoo store. My mom said it was not a good idea to talk to people who talk to spirits. Evil spirits can harm you or possess you. My grandfather asked me did I want to speak to my great aunt who is a Voodoo practitioner. My mom said no. She did not want a curse coming to me and our family. She is not sure what kind of Voodoo my great aunt practiced. My mom thinks it is evil because her children told her disturbing things she did, and they were afraid of her. So my granddad, mom, and I decided to go to the African store called Kilimanjaro International on 5300 South Kimbark Avenue, which is a twenty minutes ride away from my home on the Southside of Chicago. We thought it would be safer than a Voodoo store.
When we walked into the African store, the place was small and had large African pictures and sculptures hanging on the wall. In the back of the store, the store owner had books, soaps, jewelries, figurines, and clothes. I saw two musical instruments made of wood that look like a xylophone near the cash register. I saw a ceramic figurine that caught my eye, and I had to have it. The store owner saw me looking at the figurine and asked me did I meditate. I told her no, but I like how the light shines around the figurine. She told me it was a meditation candle holder. I asked about the African soaps and how it heals the skin. I later asked her what Voodoo is. She told me that she only knows what she is taught, and that Voodoo is learning about you and your spirit side. Voodoo taps into the energy forces or powers that govern the world. Voodoo is orally handed down from generation to generation. It is similar to the Christian and Catholic ways. You live a healthy life by being honest, doing what is right, understanding what you do to others will come back to you and helping one another go on a spiritual journey. Your spiritual journey is your destiny in life that is predetermined by the Creator. You have to accept and not alter your fate. You have to be contempt and appreciative of your life. Voodoo is not bad, but the people are bad. If people are full of negative energy, they will cause bad things to happen. If people are full of good energy, they will cause good things to happen. You give the Creator thanks in a ritual the same way Christians give thanks to their Creator through singing and dancing. Your ancestors are always around you to guide you and protect you. During a dance ceremony, you can see them around you. She also said that the Europeans made Voodoo negative. They made anything to do with Africa bad. The Europeans hated Africa and wanted the rest of the world to hate Africa too. She said don’t believe what you see on TV, magazines, or the internet. The information about Voodoo is lies put out by the Europeans to destroy Africa. She told me to call her Mama Rose and to come back and visit her anytime. (Mama Rose 1). After talking to Mama Rose, I realize I had a lot to think about. Can it be true that the African religion, Vodou is not as evil as people perceive it to be?
I believe Vodou is misunderstood because it is an unknown religion and quite mysterious. To understand Vodou is to understand its meaning. Because Vodou sounds like Voodoo, people confused the meaning of the words. The word Vodou means good religion. Vodou is a religion that focuses on a good God and good spirit. The word Voodoo means spirit or deity. The Voodoo spirit can be good or bad. The good Voodoo means religion and the bad Voodoo means Hoodoo or witchcraft. The Voodoo word is not a religion, but sometimes it is used to represent the good religion Vodou. Voodoo or Vodou are used interchangeably to describe the good Vodoureligion. When the media talk about Voodoo, people need to pay attention to how it is used. If it is good Voodoo, it means the Vodou religion. If it is bad Voodoo, it is Hoodoo or witchcraft.