The Sacred Music and Dance of Haitian Vodou

Most important element is Dance and music
Specialists conduct card readings and luck baths
Dance a way to communicate with spirit nations
Trace back to Africa
Rada, Djouba, Nago, Ibo, Kongo, Petow, and Gede
Rada-Arada (Bight of Benin)-West Africa
“Meditation of the Body”
Movements represent the spirit nation
Call+response songs in Haitian Kreyol

From Temple to Stage

Earliest accounts of Vodou appear in literature of travelers and historians
Moreau de Saint-Mery, French creole colonist and author of “De la Danse”
Short essay characterized vodou as “a sort of epilepsy” with “distorted contortions” and “monotonous drumming”
Racism also disrupts early accounts of the Bwa Kayiman dance
What is supposed to be a celebration of Haitian national identity is often overshadowed by bigoted perspectives of “primitive practitioners of lurid sacrificial blood pacts”
Despite loss of many lives fighting for beliefs revolutionaries were seen as cowards

In 1884, Sir Spenser St. John told the infamous story of affaire de Bizoton
His memoirs included accounts of cannibalism that he used to characterize the “savagery” of Haiti as a whole
After invasion of Haiti by the United States, vodou was criminalized
This inspired the production of several racially oriented portrayals of vodou
Notably, “The White Zombie” was a movie created sending the message that Haiti needed America to solve the problems that it brought onto itself through its superstitions
Had very little credibility from actual Haitians

Haitian intellectuals rallied around Jean Price-Mars for a revitalization of Haitian nationality
Introduced the notion of Haitian “folklore” based off of vodou and appealed to writers and musicians
Spawned black nationalism or noirisme
With the idea of noirisme and Haitian folklore becoming more acceptable, Haitians (and vodou) began a migration into the United States, particularly New York
This led to the creation of La Troupe Mankandal, a Haitian dance company emphasizing the magic of folklore which eventually migrated to New York
There were other organizations for folklore but Mankandal became the most famous for its stress on the magical aspect of vodou
For many Haitians, folklore often meant migration to a better life.

Early folklore, though accepted was criticized for its choreography
Vodou dance and song was supposed to be inspired by the possession of individuals by spirits
However, Mankandal eventually migrated into a cultural scene
This can be attributed to the popularity of the spektak, shows involving folklore that were modeled off of festivals back home
Spektak received popularity from newspaper editor Firmin Joseph who is credited with the development of the shows
Following death of Joseph and the departure of other first generation artists, Mankandal and the spektak lost popularity

Ethics of Representation 

Who gets to represent the culture of a group of people?
Hollywood representation
Those who were literate monopolized what vodou is.
Question’s its authenticity
Nationalist claiming vodou
represent it as a matter of blackness
Nationalism=culture
But vodou is much more than that
expresses specific experiences of marginality, oppression, and resistance
Deeper than a nationalist identity
Specific socioeconomic class of people