Voodoo black majic

 NOTIONS  SUCH  AS  CURSES, black magic,pin   dolls   and   skeleton-paintedpriests  are  inextricably  linked  withthe   popular   perception   of   Voodoo.   Acombination of Hollywood movies, fictionalnovels  and  comic  book  story  lines  havehelped  instil  the  idea  that  Voodoo  is  amysterious,  evil  religion,  stemming  fromdarkest  Africa.  Many  people  believe  it  hasbeen used to bring about the early deaths ofunwelcome  researchers  and  to  resurrect  thezombified    bodies    of    dead    believers.However,  those  who  practise  Voodoo  saythese  rumours  and  myths  have  been  borneout of ignorance and misplaced fear. Voodoo,they say, is actually a peaceful religion verysimilar  in  emphasis  to  the  Catholic  faith.They  say  it  should  cause  no  feeling  oftrepidation in anybody.

Voodoo,  also  known  as  Vodun,  Vodoun,Voudou  or  Sevi  Lua,  originated  in  the  westAfrican countries of Nigeria, Benin and Togo.‘Voodoo’  is  an  ancient  African  word  for‘Great  Spirit’,  and  the  religion  itself  isbelieved to stretch back many millennia. Thefirst  the  developed  world  knew  of  it  waswhen slave traders started capturing Africanworkers   in   the   sixteenth   century,   anddeporting  them  to  the  West  Indies.  Onarriving  in  the  islands,  the  slaves  wereforcibly invested in the Catholic faith, but asthere were few facilities for them to actuallypractise  this  new  religion,  many  slippedback into their native traditions.Their religion was founded on the idea ofone  supreme  God  –  an  unknowable  butalmighty  force.  Under  Him  there  lies  anetwork of ‘Loa’ or spirits, which are broadlyequivalent  to  the  Christian  idea  of  patronsaints. Each Loa represents a different area oflife and has certain qualities.

 For example, ifa  farmer  was  worried  about  his  crops  hewould  focus  his  worship  on  the  Loa  knownas  ‘Zaka’,  the  spirit  of  agriculture.  Despitethe  similarity  between  these  African  faiths,and  their  own,  the  French  and  Spanishconquerors  refused  to  accept  that  theseenslaved  savages  could  have  their  ownindigenous  religion.  Fearing  that  they  wereactually worshipping the devil, Voodoo wasbanned,  and  slave  leaders  and  priests  werebeaten into confessing that their rituals wereevilHowever, the Voodoo faith was continuedin  secret,  particularly  in  Haiti.  Over  time  iteven  adopted  some  aspects  of  the  Catholicreligion, as descendants of the original slavesspread throughout across the Caribbean.

 The belief  of  West  Indian  workers  mixed  withVoodoo  practices  of  slaves  taken  to  theAmerican  southlands  and  a  centre  for  thefaith was soon created in New Orleans withits  fertile  blend  of  French,  Spanish  andAfrican cultures. Today, 15% of New Orleanscitizens,  and  60  million  people  worldwide,practise  Voodoo.  In  1996  it  was  also  madethe  official  faith  of  Benin.  Despite  thisofficial recognition, there is still a great dealof  mystery  and  fear  attached  to  Voodoorituals.The  Voodoo  temple  is  called  a  Hounfour,and  the  leader  of  the  ceremony  is  a  malepriest    called  a  Houngan,  or  a  female  priestcalled a Mambo. At the centre of the templethere  is  a  post  used  to  contact  spirits,  and  ahighly decorated altar.

 There is a feast beforethe   ceremony,   and   a   particular   patternrelating  to  the  Loa  being  worshipped  isoutlined  on  the  temple  floor.  Dancing  andchanting  accompanied  by  beats  from  rattlesand   religious   drums   called   Tamboulasbegins.  One  of  the  dancers  is  said  to  bepossessed  by  the  Loa,  enters  a  trance  andbehaves  just  as  the  Loa  would.  An  animal,normally  a  chicken,  goat,  sheep  or  dog,  issacrificed  and  their  blood  is  collected.  Thisis used to sate the hunger of the Loa.Although  these  rites  and  rituals  are  usedfor good purposes – asking for guidance andhelp  –  there  are  some  less  wholesomepractices.  Voodoo  black  magic  is  performedby Caplatas or Bokors who place curses, andstick  pins  in  Voodoo  dolls  to  cause  peoplepain  and  suffering.  However,  this  use  ofVoodoo   is   very   rare,   and   the   faith   ispromoted   by   its   followers   as   being   awonderful  way  to  understand  the  humancondition  and  the  world  around  us.

  Eventhough  some  of  the  practices  seem  a  littlestrange,  are  they  really  much  different  fromevangelist  rituals  or  even  archaic  Catholicrites?    As    with    many    of    Humanity’smysteries,      a      little      tolerance      andunderstanding  goes  a  long  way  to  revealingthe truth...