How 'voodoo' became a metaphor for evil

Summary

The video by The Guardian explores the misconceptions around 'voodoo' and its portrayal as a malevolent force in popular culture, contrasting with its true roots in Haitian Vodou and New Orleans Voodoo. The video traces the history and cultural significance of Vodou, how it was used as a symbol of slave rebellion, and the subsequent fear it instilled in colonial powers. It delves into the sensationalized narratives of Vodou brought back by US marines, and their transformation into stories of zombies and black magic in American media. This portrayal fueled racial stereotypes, particularly during the Jim Crow era, influencing early Hollywood horror movies. The video seeks to correct these misconceptions, highlighting Vodou as a religion focused on serving spirits and its cultural importance in the communities of Haiti and New Orleans.

Highlights

• Vodou originates from West Africa and incorporates Indigenous and Catholic elements. 🌍
• It's linked to the Haitian revolution as a symbol of rebellion against colonial powers. 🔥
• US marines' tales sensationalized Vodou, leading to misconceived zombie legends. 🧟
• The term 'voodoo' became associated with evil in media, impacting racial views in America. 😨
• Despite negative stereotypes, Vodou is a legitimate spiritual practice in Haiti and New Orleans. 🙏

Key Takeaways

• Voodoo is often misunderstood as evil due to pop culture portrayals, but it's actually rooted in rich, spiritual traditions. 🌿
• Both Haitian Vodou and New Orleans Voodoo have significant cultural and historical importance, arising from West African, Indigenous, and Catholic influences. 🕊️
• Vodou was instrumental in the Haitian revolution, symbolizing strength and rebellion against colonial rule. ✊
• The portrayal of voodoo in American media, influenced by marines' tales, deeply impacted racial stereotypes and contributed to the rise of zombie movie culture. 🎬
• Voodoo should be understood as a faith of spirit service and community, rather than black magic, and is still practiced in its cultural regions today. 💫

Overview

Voodoo, often seen as sinister and mysterious in popular culture, is actually rooted in Haitian Vodou and New Orleans Voodoo, which are rich spiritual practices originating from West African traditions. These religions incorporate Indigenous and Catholic beliefs, and are far from the malevolent force they're often depicted as. 🌿

The historical significance of Vodou is immense. It played a pivotal role during the Haitian revolution as it symbolized a spiritual uprising and the fight for freedom from colonial oppression. This authentic strength frightened colonial powers and painted Vodou as a cult of revolt, echoing fear into western societies. 🏛️

Unfortunately, sensational tales by US marines in the early 20th century transformed Vodou's perception into that of zombies and black magic, fueling Hollywood's early horror genre and reinforcing racial stereotypes during the Jim Crow era. Vodou, rather than being black magic, is about serving spirits and has cultural resonance in places like Haiti and New Orleans. 🌀

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Voodoo Misconceptions The chapter titled 'Introduction to Voodoo Misconceptions' explores the common perceptions and misconceptions surrounding voodoo as influenced by pop culture. It highlights that while modern media often portrays voodoo as a mysterious, malevolent force linked to evil or black magic, the reality is quite different. This section sets out to clarify what voodoo truly is, emphasizing the distinctions between Haitian Vodou and New Orleans Voodoo, two practices often incorrectly conflated due to these pervasive myths.
• 00:30 - 01:30: Origins and Historical Context of Vodou This chapter explores the origins and historical context of Vodou, a Haitian religion with roots in West Africa. Combining elements of indigenous practices and Catholicism, Vodou emerged from the cultural clashes during and after the slave trade. It was instrumental in the Haitian Revolution, leading to the first independent black nation. Vodou is seen as a key factor in the 1791 rebellion that sparked Haiti's war of independence from France.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Vodou's Role in Haitian Revolution The chapter discusses the significant role of Vodou in triggering the Haitian Revolution. It begins with a Vodou ceremony that ignited the insurrection against French colonizers, marking the spirit and power of revolution from the very start. Vodou is depicted as central to the revolutionary intentions and power, causing concern among leaders in the United States and Europe who feared it as a potential threat to colonial rule.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Perception of Vodou in the Western World The chapter explores the perception of Vodou in the Western world before the abolition of slavery. For white Europeans and Americans, the idea of slaves revolting and defeating their colonial rulers was terrifying. They recognized the social and military power embodied in Vodou, observing its use by leaders among Haitian troops. Consequently, Vodou became emblematic of everything perceived as unwestern, undeveloped, and uncivilized.
• 03:00 - 04:00: US Occupation and Misrepresentation The chapter titled 'US Occupation and Misrepresentation' discusses the historical context of foreign interventions in Haiti, emphasizing the rationale presented by foreign powers. The narrative begins by addressing the enduring justification used for imperial interventions, particularly highlighting the French occupation of Haiti. Furthermore, it explores the US occupation that began in 1915, ordered by President Woodrow Wilson. This intervention was ostensibly to establish peace amidst political turmoil and frequent changes in leadership in Haiti. However, the underlying motives were more aligned with suppressing German influence in the Caribbean region and seizing control of Haitian resources, especially in the context of the impending World War I. The chapter critically examines these misrepresentations and their impact on Haiti.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Racial Narratives and Pop Culture Influence The chapter delves into the historical context of how racial narratives have been shaped by pop culture, particularly focusing on the treatment of Haitians by the marines. It highlights the overt racism and violence faced by Haitians, coupled with a fear of their cultural differences. This fear translated into sensational stories about Vodou ceremonies, filled with exaggerated and false claims of human or baby sacrifices. These narratives, fueled by unfamiliarity, were transformed into stories that were palatable and engaging for media consumption.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Impact of Voodoo in Media and Society The chapter delves into the portrayal of voodoo in media and its subsequent impact on society. It begins with a description of how communities, fearing the wrath of devil gods, engage in frenzied rituals believed to cleanse them of evil spells. The narrative transitions to the influence of travel writer William Seabrook, who, through his book 'The Magic Island', relays exaggerated tales, possibly heard from US marines, as factual accounts to the American public. Seabrook's notable claim about witnessing zombies is highlighted, exemplifying how such stories fueled public perceptions and myths around voodoo.
• 06:00 - 07:00: Reality of Vodou Practices The chapter titled 'Reality of Vodou Practices' explores the concept of zombification and the transformation into ghouls through voodoo. It delves into themes of promiscuity and black magic, highlighting the captivating nature of such stories and how they have been perceived as truth in the past. The existence of these tales in academic journals suggests their significant cultural impact and the blurred lines between fantasy and reality.
• 07:00 - 08:00: Comparison between Haitian Vodou and New Orleans Voodoo The chapter explores the historical context of how sensationalized narratives about Haitian Vodou and New Orleans Voodoo influenced societal perceptions in the Southern United States during the Reconstruction era. These narratives fueled irrational fears among white people about black political power. The portrayal of Vodou as 'exotic' and 'barbaric' contributed to the hysteria that bolstered support for Jim Crow laws and segregation, suggesting that black people should be denied rights.
• 08:00 - 09:00: Modern Resurgence and Cultural Significance The chapter discusses the modern resurgence and cultural significance of voodoo, particularly focusing on its impact and presence in Harlem. It highlights the disempowerment of Black individuals and reveals that a significant portion of Harlem's African American population practices voodoo. Moreover, the chapter explores how these narratives were incorporated into early horror cinema, specifically mentioning the film 'White Zombie,' which references voodoo through its depiction of a 'Land of the voodoo.'
• 09:00 - 10:00: Further Exploration and Series Conclusion This chapter delves into the pioneering role of 'White Zombie,' a film credited with opening the floodgates to numerous zombie films and literature. The narrative often revolves around evil rituals and large gatherings engaged in nefarious activities, a theme that recurs in various interpretations of Vodou. Scenes are commonly characterized by chaotic body movements, a communal ambiance surrounding a fire, and random elements such as snakes draped around individuals, coupled with themes of lust.

How 'voodoo' became a metaphor for evil Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 When I say the word voodoo, what do you think of? Pop culture has led us to believe  that voodoo means something mysterious,   a malevolent force, evil or black magic, but in  reality voodoo is something quite different. So what is it exactly? and if it's not evil, why has it been portrayed this way for centuries? What we're talking about here is Haitian Vodou  and New Orleans Voodoo they are not the same
• 00:30 - 01:00 but they are connected. Vodou is a haitian religion that originated in west Africa. It has elements of indigenous religious practices  and catholicism and emerged out of the clash of cultures and the birth of new cultures in the new world during and after the slave trade. It also played a pivotal role in the haitian revolution which established the first independent black nation. Vodou has been understood as being at the  very root of the rebellion and the revolt in 1791 that led to the war of independence in Haiti  and Haiti's ultimate independence from France.
• 01:00 - 01:30 It was a vodous ceremony that kicked off the  insurrection invoking the courage to break free   from enslavement and to take over the island from  the colonising french. So from the beginning, Vodou is seen as at the very heart of revolutionary desire, intention and ultimately power. And so you can imagine for this reason, leaders in the United States, leaders in Europe really perceive Vodou as something that could really motivate revolt and ultimately pose a threat to the colonial order.
• 01:30 - 02:00 This was before the abolition of slavery. The thought of slaves rising up and overthrowing their colonial masters was the stuff of nightmares for white europeans and americans. They absolutely understood its power on a social  and military level meaning they understood how Vodou was being utilised by leaders in the haitian troops. Vodou became sort of symbolic of all that was unwestern, undeveloped, uncivilised
• 02:00 - 02:30 and all of these things and that narrative has been used, you know up to the present day to  justify imperial interventions in Haiti. The french weren't the last invading force to  occupy Haiti. In 1915, after a series of political uprisings in the country and six different presidents over four years, Woodrow Wilson sent in the US marines under the guise of establishing peace but in the run-up to world war one, it was more about curtailing german influence in the region and taking control of Haiti's resources.
• 02:30 - 03:00 The marines treated them appallingly  with overt racism and violence  . but they also feared the haitian  people because they were different. And so what you had coming back to the US in the 20s and 30s were these, you know, wild tales of Vodou ceremonies and, you know, sacrifices and blood rituals that then very easily became, you know, not animal sacrifices but human sacrifices or baby sacrifices. There are ways in which that unfamiliarity got  transformed into something that made for good media.
• 03:00 - 03:30 [Narrator: The cult of voodoo embodies the worship  and fear of devil gods.] [Whole communities believing themselves under an evil spell indulge in wild orgies to cleanse themselves.] It was around this time that travel writer William Seabrook wrote a book called The Magic Island all about Haiti. He takes these wild tales from the US marines and  delivers them as fact to the american people. Seabrook claims that he has seen zombies, right?
• 03:30 - 04:00 People who have been zombified, turned into ghouls, through the use of voodoo. He talks about promiscuity, black magic and we take his stories as truth so much so that Seabrook's fantasies appear  in our academic journals here in the US.
• 04:00 - 04:30 these articles came at a time when reconstruction  was happening in the south and black people were coming into some political power. These sensationalised narratives about Vodou, or voodoo as the americans called it, were informing white people's irrational fears of what black political power might look like. [Narrator: Exotic, barbaric the cult of voodoo.] These voodoo ceremonies creates part of the hysteria that is used to support the idea in the south that black people shouldn't have these rights, that we get the rise of jim crow, segregation
• 04:30 - 05:00 and the disenfranchisement of black people. [Narrator: investigating voodoo in Harlem reveals that nearly one-third of harlem's negroes have become voodoo worshipers.] All of that, all of those narratives are then lifted almost whole and full into one of our earliest horror films, which is White Zombie. [Film narrator: Land of the voodoo.]
• 05:00 - 05:30 White zombie was one of the first ever  zombie movies and it opened the door   to countless more films and books featuring  the undead and other depictions of Vodou. The tie that binds most of these films is evil  rituals, often it's a large group of individuals,   again that writhing, you know, body outside, a big group, you know, around a flame. Randomly there's a couple of snakes around people's necks and then some kind of lust.
• 05:30 - 06:00 Typically, in these films these are white men who are using black people and black voodoo to get to a white woman that they want. You will awaken to find life everlasting. The zombie film for many americans was their first experience of Vodou as voodoo. Black magic and the zombie has just been this really useful metaphor for alienation,
• 06:00 - 06:30 for evil that was beyond the control of good people, good americans, good middle class citizens. If we can only manage to keep them out, we can remain safe, our values and ideals can remain safe. [Gunshot rings] This is the story of Vodou that we've been told over and over again for centuries but it's just not true. So what's the reality of this misunderstood religion? In Haiti, they actually describe themselves  more likely as serving the spirits. There are many different analogies.
• 06:30 - 07:00 You can think of the greek gods or of the catholic saints so they intervene in human affairs and they determine the outcome for particular individuals or families. New Orleans Voodoo has a lot of similarities  such as its west african and catholic roots   and the devotion to the spirits but it  is a separate religion all of its own,
• 07:00 - 07:30 unique to the black Louisiana community from which it grew and it still remains an integral part of that community to this day. There's been more of a resurgence in recent years for people to reach back and take it seriously. Even people who don't consider themselves as practicing Voodoo have some spiritual, medicinal elements that come from that  kind of tradition. Haitian Vodou and Louisiana or New Orleans Voodoo are huge subjects to delve into
• 07:30 - 08:00 and we barely touch the surface so i'll put some extra links and further reading in the description if you want to find out more. if you want to see a film that respectfully represents Louisiana Voodoo then check out Kasi Lemmon's Eve's Bayou. It's a brilliant film. Finally, this is the last episode in this series of Black Enough? Thanks so much for watching and if you want to see the previous episodes go to the Guardian Youtube channel