In her The Sacred Music and Dance of Haitian Vodou from Temple to Stage and the Ethics of Representation, Lois Wilcken discusses the evolution and misconceptions of the art of voodoo. It interestingly disproves many of the negative stereotypes that are often connected with the spiritual belief: black magic, wicker dolls, historic and mystical dancing and chants. Voodoo is something that is celebrated by the Haitian community and is enjoyed by many of the Haitian culture. The scared dances and music are pieces of this culture. Wilcken focuses on how Voodoo began to be portrayed to American audiences, from the negative portrayal of early explorers and early movies (both subject to the influence of the rampant Social Darwinism), to its more modern portray on stage by dance groups and companies.

There were many connections that could be drawn between the film we saw in class in Wilcken’s article. One thing that I found interesting were the differing views of Voodoo and Rara from the elderly and young Haitians. The elders believed in holding onto strong traditions and roots. They believed in spontaneity, that Voodoo and Rara are things that are not planned, but occur when the time is right. The younger participants, however, understand that Voodoo and Rara need to evolve if they want to appeal to wider audience. Thus, dance troupes began organizing dances, choosing which spiritual dances to portray, and which songs to dance to. The Rara group began meeting regularly. They chose a set band, instead of inviting anyone with an instrument to play. The younger people do understand the importance of tradition and culture, and try to maintain their roots as much as possible.