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Voodoo priests blast foreign aid, troops in Haiti, Dec. 5, 2008, Miami Herald Voodoo priests say foreign aid and the presence of 9,000 U.N. peacekeepers inHaiti are holding back the chronically impoverished country. Voodoo supreme chief Max Beauvoir says Haitians cannot live comfortably amongheavily armed U.N. troops and that aid groups accomplish little whilepreventing locals from helping themselves. About 300 adherents wearing patron spirits' colors marched Friday near thepresidential palace. They poured alcohol before a statue honoring Haiti's rebelslave founders. Marchers also denounced the Dec. 5 anniversary of Christopher Columbus's 1492arrival in what is now northern Haiti. Voodoo is an official religion in Haiti.

It mixes Christianity with WestAfrican religions.

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Ezili Danto's Note:Regarding AP's article: Voodoo priests blast foreign aid, troops in Haiti,dated Dec. 5, 2008http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/haiti/story/801466.html HLLN ignored this article on the December 5th march in Haiti where Vodunadherents gathered in front of the Haitian National Palace to denounce theforeign occupation, foreign aid and the Christian NGOs so-called "benevolence"because it is incorrect in its declaration about Vodun. And because itsdisgusting misogynistic title ignored all of Haiti's priestesses - tout Manboyo!. We who are and have always been the most revered of all in Vodun as theleaders, healers, creators and keepers of the sacred Vodun ways.

But on second thought, for the Ezili HLLN Network, I'll take this moment as ateaching moment and give a brief counter-colonial narrative on Vodun. (Seealso, Bwa Kayiman, 2008: Reclaiming the Haitian People's Vodun Narrative at BwaKayiman Marguerite Laurent.com | Going Back to Source - For Dred Wilme, July 6, 2008). Number One:The Haitian way of life is called Vodun, not Hollywood Lalaland's "Voodoo.""Vodou" is also an acceptable spelling of the Haitian spiritual and life systemof being. At HLLN we use Vodun. It is the oldest and most correct phonetictranslation from the Fon language word “Vodun” which means Sacred Energies.

It has NOTHING to do with Hollywood's Voodoo which is a racist/Eurocentricartistic invention that brings to mind sorcery, bad spells and zonbies andtries to sell it as the way of life of Haitians. Second: Vodun IS NOT, as the Associated Press article below declares, a mixtureof Christianity and West African religions. NO, no, no and NO. Vodun is the oldest spiritual tradition in the world and its mythologies haverisen in all of the religions to be domesticated around the planet. But, it isnot Christian. It came before Christianity and doesn't adopt or regurgitate ANYof the major Christian tenets.

There is no "Jesus " spirit or Lwa (irreduciblespirit of a divine being) in Vodun. Vodun is the union, the "linyon fè lafòs" coalition that's NEVER, ever wavered in Haiti.(http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pre...bwakayiman.mov.) Extendingthe values of Vodun, including those that establishes the African's inalienableright to self defense, self determination is the reason Haiti became free fromEuropean chattel slavery and direct colonialism. (See, Boukmann's RighteousPrayer – Lapriyè Boukmanhttp://www.margueritelaurent.com/campaigns/campaignone/presswork/freeprisoners.html#prayer). Haitian Vodun is NOT a syncretistic blend of African religions andEurope/Christianity.

Vodun originated all religions and contains none of the major tenets of Christianity. In the Vodun of my African/Haitian grandmothers, there isoriginal sin, Jesus Lwa, hell, heaven, tyrannical but benevolent God (we have adistant but Good God (Bondye) and living deities, not dead Saints), but livingenergies, living deities with the frailties of human beings who inhabit us andwith whom we may argue with, or energies we may shape with our own goodness inthe task of elevating sacred energies, natures bounty, TOGETHER)...

I know Maya Deren book "Divine Horsemen" says Vodun is a blend of Christianityand West African religions and that the trance where the divinity possesses aworshiper may be described as "White Darkness" and that "Petwo" the Haitiannation of divine energy that inhabited the African warriors and enabled them towin is not African but Taino, but all that is WRONG.

It's a well-intentionedbut Eurocentric perspectives of what Maya Deren could explain to her ownconstituents in language and by points of references that would make them bemore understanding of Vodun. But it is WRONG. I know that this book is revered by the Haitian "bourgie scholars" abroad andtheir sycophants and students who are writing ABOUT Vodun, but there is NO SUCHTHING as "White Darkness!!!" in Vodun. That is VERY insulting to a Ginen. The 1791 Bwa Kayiman Prophecy and Call that began the great Haitian revolutionwe extend today, was: "E, e, Mbomba, e, e! Kanga Bafyòti. Kanga Mundele. KangaNdòki. Kanga yo!" Ezili's English translation: The Supreme Creator (E, e, Mbomba, e, e!), Masterof Breath shall foil the black collaborators/traitors (kanga bafyòti). Kill the tyrannical white settlers/blan strangers (kanga mundele). Bind all evilforces/sorcerers (kanga Ndòki).

Stop them!

(Listen to the Welfare Poets'ssong Sak Pase and their reciting (2:05) of the Bwa Kayiman invocation: E, e,Mbomba! Kanga Bafyòti. Kanga Mundele. Kanga Ndòki. Kanga li!