In reading, “they are not men.. They are dead bodies”, I realised that Europeans used religion to spread white supremacy. In an effort to portray Christianity the better option for religion, Europeans denigrated the religious practises of the slaves. The black religious practises were described as animalistic and grave robbing, characterizing the religion of the slaves as cruel and barbarous. On the other hand, Christianity is described as “civilised”. What i find very striking is , Spencer St. John who put forward such denigrating descriptions had never been to a voodoo ceremony. Instead, he relied on gossip of cannibalism and human sacrifices linked to cannibalism. (Haiti or the Black Republic)
(this picture portrays barbaric acts taking place at a voodoo meeting).
Europeans came to African soil as missionaries to spread the gospel in the 1800’s. Hence, I can assume that before Europeans ever set foot on the soil of my ancestors (Gold Coast, now Ghana), the main religion was African Traditional Religion. * Yet today in Ghana, traditional religion is looked at with disgust and disdain. Ghanaian cinema describes voodoo as evil and witch doctors are usually considered to be an offspring of the devil himself. What makes Christianity so different from the traditional religion? Both religions believe and worship a deity/ higher entity. Both give thanks and pray to their higher deity. Both religions have someone to intercede in the prayer for him or her.
Before Europeans arrived on African soil, Africans did not deem their religion as “animalistic” and barbaric, yet after coming into contact with Europeans, people suddenly consider African Traditional religion to be voodoo.
I am very reluctant to use the term voodoo, because it has a very negative connotation to it. I find the term “black magic” very problematic. Why do people marvel at miracles in the bible yet when something of the same nature happens because the “witch doctor” actualizes it , people use the term “black magic” . Miracle has positive connotation to it, whereas magic has a negative connotation to it. I am very reluctant to use the term voodoo, because it has a very negative connotation to it.
According to dictionary reference, miracle is miracle a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered the work of a divine agency. Magic on the other hand is described as the art of producing illusions as entertainment by the use of sleight of hand, deceptive devices.
Inferring from the definitions above, Although both religions can produce an event that is not explicable by nature, one is considered to be purer than the other. Miracle is considered as the purer and the better one. Anything associated with the religion of the Haitian slaves is seen as evil? Europeans belittle their religion by calling all their supernatural events as black magic, make it sound evil and barbaric. This, I consider is another tool for spreading white supremacy, Christianity is better than Haitian voodoo because Europeans deemed it so.
References :
Kee, Chera. “They are not men they are dead bodies!”. From Cannibalism to Zombie and Back again
Spencer St.John. “Haiti or the Black Republic”
DictionaryReference: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/magic?s=t
