Lois Wilcken’s article, “The Sacred Music and Dance of Haitian Vodou from Temple to Stage and the Ethics of Representation” was very interesting to since I had very little idea of what Vodou really is. This is because it has been severely misrepresented in the Western Media. Wilcken emphasizes the importance of dance as a central aspect of Vodou. Wilcken explains the cultural and historical background of Vodou and how it has changed over time. He explains various aspects of the Vodou culture and explores the music and dance behind it. He also provides information on the reputation that Vodou had in the past and how it has become different, as misconceptions have been disproved. It has become an important medium for expression of culture and has many different interpretations.
The dance is as a way to bring together the community and pay homage to the spirits. It provides a way for Caribbean people to express and explore their link to Africa and their cultural heritage. The spiritual greetings are sent to several spirit nations. These nations can be traced back to around the Gulf of Guinea, the Congo River Basin, Rada, Djouba, Nago, Ibo, Kongo, Petwo, and Gede.
The dance in Vodou is called “the meditation of the body.” The beat of the drum is very important. It sets the rhythm of the dancing and the overall mood of those practicing Vodou. There is use of cross rhythms and offbeat phrasing as well as other techniques to improve the quality of drumming and to further lift up the mood. The dances, like yanvalou, imitate the movements of snakes and make them into a dance. There is also an emphasis on liquid or fluid movements.
He discusses the clash of ideas of the purists and those that are trying to modernize the culture of Vodou. The purists believe that the Vodou worship and dance should be spontaneous and natural. They oppose the idea that it should be rehearsed or planned. They place more of an emphasis on the spirituality rather on the cultural aspect though they are not mutually exclusive. There are others that want improve the image of Vodou by changing and modernizing it. They believe that it should be choreographed and planned.
Both sides have their merits. The purists don’t believe that they should change their culture, which is completely justified. Those that want to change things are also justified. They want to make it more approachable to people who did not grow up with the idea of Vodou. This allows people to get a clearer image of what Vodou really is. This avoids the problem of people learning about Vodou from Western media that places negative and false stereotypes on the culture. It opens a gateway for people to appreciate the culture for what it really is if they are interested and see past the more digestible theatrical version.
