Abstract

CLORMEUS, Lewis A.. Vodou is an evil to be fighted. Socio-history of a discourse of denigration. Soc. relig. [online]. 2020, vol.30, n.54, pp.230-254. ISSN 0326-9795.

For many Haitians, Vodou is the embodiment of evil. For some, it is even a scapegoat at the roots of the lack of development in the country and natural disasters which leave families destitute. For others yet, Vodou is synonymous to ritualistic murders, cannibalism and witchcraft. Up until 1987, the penal code of the country saw Vodouism as an expression of superstition that had to be condemned. As such, the Catholic Church led several anti-superstition campaigns to eradicate this afro-american synchretism. Likewise, for some fifty years now, this local religion is the object of repeated Evangelical assaults. This article relies on the production of discursive of Haitian political elites as well as the views of Christian groups toward Vodouism. Its object is to identify the main motives leading to this opposition and the most recent moves toward greater respect for this form of religiosity.

Keywords : Vodou; Haïti; Catholic Church; Evangelical Churches; Evil.