Noah Stommel
On Wednesday evening, Donald J. Cosentino spoke at the Fleming Museum in a lecture titled “Why Did Gede Let This Happen? Catastrophe and Theodicy in 21st Century Haitian Vodou.” I believe he was invited to speak at the exhibit because of his experience writing and teaching on topics associated with African-diasporic religions, particularly Vodou, also commonly known as voodoo. As Professor of Culture and Performace at UCLA, he has written distinctive research articles on Vodou, such as “Vodou Things: The Art of Pierrot Barra and Marie Cassaise” (UCLA African Studies Center). His expertise in the field of Vodou was especially relevant to the Fleming exhibit because of the Haitian Vodou altar that was a key part of it.
One of the most prevalent themes of Cosentino’s lecture was that of theodicy in Vodou and the greater Haitian culture. Since the beginning of its history as a French colony, Haiti has always been plagued by suffering and inequalities. Ever since gaining independence of brutal slavery in 1804, Haiti has been the setting of endless catastrophe, most recently in the form of the 2010 earthquake that killed an estimated 250,000 people, followed by a subsequent cholera epidemic. Other social and ecological disasters, such as riots, hurricanes, and devastating flooding have desolated the island nation. Theodicy’s relevance is seen in that despite the destitution of Haiti, Haitians still find it within themselves to praise God, uttering a saying translating to “God is good”. Cosentino explained throughout his lecture how Haitian tradition explains the absence of God in its times of desperation, and how Haitians come to terms with their misfortune through spiritual understanding.
Haiti is an interesting place, Cosentino explained, due to the heavy mixing of religious values. He described Haitian religious demographics as being 80% Catholic, 20% Protestant, and 100% Vodou. Christian saints, brought to Haiti by French colonists, have evolved into Vodou spirits, otherwise known as Lwa. This pertains to topics we discussed in class such as that of creolization, which “has most often referred to cultures formed through and in colonial situations blending, for example, European languages and practices with … African ones” (Johnson 759). The concept of creolization gives me a stronger understanding of how Haitian Vodou incorporates themes in its religion closely pertaining to those of Christianity. These Lwa who embody Christian saints, and notably Gede, the manifestation of those who died in the Middle Passage during the slave trade, are highly relevant when discussing the commonplace suffering that strikes Haiti.
Cosentino discussed Gede’s role in Haiti’s devastating earthquake of 2010. According to Cosentino, Haitians believe that Gede himself was afraid of the earthquake and fled the Earth. As the spirit of the dead, he only returned once most of the victims had been hastily buried. In a place so influenced by death and destruction, religious practitioners emphasize
“the key role of the community in the interpretation and application of the wisdom of the spirits. Thus, the public airing of community problems and issues… is a means of … mobilizing the assistance of the community, and mending broken relationships. It is, in short, a way of healing” (McCarthy Brown 14).
I have come to understand that Haitian Vodou practitioners do not make excuses for the absence of the Lwa in their struggles, but rather find meaning for their absence through religious values and community acceptance. Cosentino brought to my attention the value of Haitian art in this way of thinking as well. What Cosentino called “the art of desperation” helps Haitians to embrace adversity from a philosophical standpoint, and also to understand the role of the Lwa in their lives. I learned from Cosentino that this art, which the religion has become known for (although not for necessarily appropriate reasons), is heavily influential not only in religious life, but the daily lives of people engulfed by tumult on the island.
I also noticed how Cosentino compared the explanation for the absence of Gede during the earthquake to the absence of God in other catastrophes, such as the Holocaust. Now that I think of it, I would be interested in asking Cosentino what other parallels he can draw between Vodou and greater Haitian culture to other events in our world. This would be a valuable question because I think all religions try to attribute events on Earth to actions or lack thereof of higher beings.
Bibliography
Johnson, Paul C. “Syncretism and Hybridization.” In The Oxford Handbook of the Study of Religion, edited by Michael Stausberg and Steve Engler, 759. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
McCarthy Brown, Karen. “Afro-Caribbean Spirituality: A Haitian Case Study.” In Vodou in Haitian Life and Culture: Invisible Powers, edited by Claudine Michel and Patrick Bellegarde-Smith, N.p.: Palgrave Macmillann.d.
University of California Los Angeles African Studies Center. Accessed October 26, 2017. http://www.international.ucla.edu/africa/person/167.