I'm always intrigued when a patient uses Vodou or Voodoo as the reason for an event in their life, specifically medical, mental health. I was raised in a Christian household and never lived in a city where Vodou was popular, not until I moved to Miami. The only exposure to Vodou I had were the movies and Hollywood. Movies like Angel Heart and Serpent of the Rainbow made me fear a subject I knew nothing about.
Vodou has faced much criticism through its history, having repeatedly been described as one of the world's most misunderstood religions. Vodou developed among Afro-Haitian communities amid the Atlantic slave trade of the 16th to 19th centuries. It arose through the blending of the traditional religions brought to the island of Hispaniola by enslaved West Africans, many of them Yoruba or Fon, and the Roman Catholic teachings of the French colonialists who controlled the island. Many Vodouists were involved in the Haitian Revolution which overthrew the French colonial government, abolished slavery, and established modern Haiti. The Roman Catholic Church left for several decades following the Revolution, allowing Vodou to become Haiti's dominant religion. In the 20th century, growing emigration spread Vodou elsewhere in the Americas.
For those wondering why I am delving into a topic that has scared and dissuaded many, it is so that I have a better understanding and can further enhance my cultural sensitivity with my patients, a significant portion of whom are Haitian and practice Vodou.
Please join me on the couch with registered nurse Brian Clercy and Dr. Sidney Coupet, an internist, as we converse about religion - Vodou.
