Religion in The World Is Moving Around Me

(Note: I’m not entirely certain about my status as this week’s class blogger so here’s a ‘just in case’ post)

Pre-English 474F, I wasn’t very knowledgeable about the Haiti in general. I didn’t know it’s history, culture, or people. Dany Laferriere’s book, The World Is Moving Around Me, therefore provided an interesting first representation of Haiti to ‘fresh eyes.’ One of the things I noted and wish to discuss in today’s blog post is the aspect and role of religion on Haitian culture, as depicted by the book. I noticed a lot of Christian themes and tropes throughout the text, such as how emphasis is placed on certain places that are spared, notably gardens, as seen on page 16 and 45, 67, and more loosely on page 48 as a yard, and even in the preface on page 11 where Haiti is called a ‘Garden of Eden.’
Throughout the book, other religious topics appear frequently. Laferriere himself writes a passage on ‘The Role of God’ on page 121, depicting the religious image of the city ‘on its knees’ (121), an image of prayer and exhaustion. The people can only count on ‘themselves..and God.’ (121) In another section, DL (for short) discusses how “Homer believed the gods sent us misfortune so we might make poetry of it.” (51) There are many Gods and religions in this book, but I think the two prominent ones are that of Christianity and that of Voodoo. Filo, DL’s radio spokesperson and artist friend sang the praises of Voodoo on page 37, while DL’s mother preached the opposite, asking “What can you do but turn to Jesus?” on page 93. This split is interesting. Christianity was introduced to Haiti, as this helpful article clarifies. I was curious, what is the symbolism of people native to Haiti appealing to a foreign religion for help during the earthquake, during a time of need?
I know the religion has been well established following the murder of much of the native population upon Columbus’ arrival and the importation of slaves forced to adhere to the new religion, as the article denotes, but I still think there is some relevance in those who believe choosing to believe in something foreign, not home grown and, in antiquity, intrusive, opposed to a native religion. DL places a lot of emphasis on the intrusion of foreigners attempting to help, and makes a point of noting that the Catholic Church strategically worked its way into the hearts of the poorer classes in the last few decades (87). Does anyone else read a deeper meaning in the choice of some to appeal to a ‘foreign God’ and ‘foreign religion’?

Works Cited
“The History of Haiti and Vodou – Overview.” The History of Haiti and Vodou – Overview. Ethnological Museum Berlin. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. .

Stokes Jr., John. “Bible Gardens Revisited.” Bible Gardens Revisited. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. .

Laferriere, Dany. The World Is Moving Around Me. Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp, 2013. Print.

woman ‘demanding answers from heaven’ 46

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