Courtesy of the Dance Collection, the New York Public Library at Lincoln Center, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations
Zimbio’s “Clashes Break Out at Voodoo Ceremony for Quake Victims” is a post I have most recently been drawn to. The bucolic text wavering below the disturbing and somewhat explosive photograph screams ‘explain me!’. As a collective body–art and words–the post deserves to be ignored. To some degree, however, I digress [... ] The interactive magazine illustrates a situation that erupted during a Voodoo ceremony in a tent city in Haiti following the recent devastation of the 7.7 January 12th earthquake. A photo of a Haitian man while engaging in a Voodoo ceremony is featured above the text in the post. The man’s eyes bulging out, mouth open, and face glistening with sweat is both an historical and terrifying image of the Black people whom found their way to this island during the days of slavery. As stated:
A Christian man screams, “Those people are responsible for the aftershocks and we shouldn’t let them do this devilish thing,” after a mob attacked a Haitian Voodoo ceremony for earthquake victims in the Ti Ayiti neighborhood February 23, 2010 in Cité Soleil, Haiti. The Voodooists were run out of the central pavilion under a hail of rocks and all the ceremonial items they left behind were destroyed and burned by the mob. Although a multi-million dollar police station was built across the street from the notorious slum, no police appeared to disperse the crowd or protect the worshipers.
Although the writer includes “no police appeared to disperse the crowd or protect the worshipers”, an attempt to offer balance to the report, the photo taken by Chip Somodevilla of Getty Images-South America was kindly positioned atop the verbiage. I refuse to post the pic on my site. I would like to give you a detailed response, but the photo is in fact alarming. I would only be perpetuating what I am writing against.
As a journalist and/or photographer, I am sure Somodevilla felt that he had captured a moment. Memorable. Intense. Fascinating. This image however, is reminiscent of other images throughout decades where Haitians who engaged in Voodoo worship represented all of Haiti and are depicted as plagued. Afflicted. Monstrous. Granted, through the voodoo practice the experience brings the practitioner to a level of engagement where he/she is unaware of body movement and expression. Where the music–rhythm of the drums and chanting of voices brings their movement to a level of spirited dimensions. The bodily expression and gesture can be misunderstood if not understood. The cameras nevertheless (lens zoom, angle) only carry out a photographic gaze which is self-explanatory. Let me give you an example.
One of the most famous distortions of Haitian Voodoo worship and spiritual/religious expression is that of the cinematography of Maya Daren in Divine Horseman-The Living Gods of Haiti. In this film, the speed of the film, gaze of the camera and zoom of the lens reads exactly as it was intended–Haitians as witch crafters and evil and lost Voodoo practitioners. Crazies whom worship evil. In many cases, depicted as worshiping the devil. These stereotypes like many others regarding African people throughout the diaspora, particularly American African peoples–lazy, dumb, buffoonish, the mammy, Jezebel, Sapphire, and so on–are none the different. Over 200 years ago, soon after Haiti overthrew the French, American Whites who owned enslaved Africans and African-Americans were terrified at the thought of an overthrowing of themselves. A ‘slave rebellion’. A major shift in the power structure.
The key at this time was to paint Haiti as the darkest island of all. Darker than the continent of Africa and its people had been painted. This way, all would fear Haiti and its people. And the Haitians have been paying for their FREEDOM ever since…
Far from romanticism, this culture was illustrated as horrid, destructive, obscure, and grotesque. Haiti, since this time has fought in many ways to redefine themselves–politically, artistically, socially, educationally, geographically and so on. Reconstruct an identity, many would say tainted by the hands and ideas of others. To much avail, Haitians and Haitian Americans have greatly succeeded. A dear friend, Ferentz Lafargue author of a recent article on Haiti, “The Meaning of Progress: Thoughts on Haiti’s Disaster”, discusses this in more depth detail.
At the height of the most recent devastation however, the quake that rocked the nation, this island, its culture, way of life and identity has been again scrutinized. Instead of taking this time to portray customs and cultural components in a positive way as Haiti right now has the spot light, unfortunately it’s not going down like that. Remember, it is wise to keep in mind the mistakes of the past; rather than execute them.
Katherine Dunham, a pioneer in what is referred to as Black dance was a choreographer, dancer, and anthropologist. Dunham was successful in linking African religion and culture (Yoruba from West African cultures) to dance and customs of the Caribbean. Through lecture demonstrations, performances, choreography, and publications this sister was bad on so many levels. Ultimately bringing truth about Black culture of the African diaspora to various audiences by way of dance and music was slick. Slick because dance and music is influential. Slick because dance and music is the embodiment of culture and in African cultures the preserver of customs. Identity. Aesthetic.
More specifically, dance of music of Martinique, Cuba, Jamaica and Haiti was thoroughly researched by Dunham. Of Haiti, the Dunham Technique was based on movements, movement sequences, and rhythms of Voodoo later brought to theaters in the US and in dance studios, like I studied at the Alvin Ailey American Dance School in their professional division. Dunham’s Master thesis, Dances of Haiti, 1947 contains her philosophical theory on Form & Function, often discussed by VeVe Clarke. Dunham’s work by all means, especially during her time was groundbreaking. It is through my experience as a dancer and cultural scholar, not to mention the wife of a Haitian American and mama to two 2nd generation (by way of dad, because my people have been here for a minute) Haitian American young girls, that when I came across this image I was reminded. Reminded of how much we have fought as artists, educators, activists, and members of the experience to redefine Black people individually and as a whole. What we have done to chisel away at the demeaning chicanery. We have been rebuilding for a minute so there is no need to drift from the path.
This pic is not cool. Through the gawking, male gazing, colonial gazing and angle and zoom of the camera , the innocent journalist deems a destructive pantomime of a spiritual engagement repeating the old and ugly rather than contributing to creating the new. I mean, did he really need to take the photo that close? Could he have captured the movement, the exquisite angles and gestures of the body through worship? Praise? Reverence? The velocity of the body as it moves through the space (*stops typing, realizes the journalist is not a dance ethnographer. walks away and comes back*).
Maybe the journalist doesn’t have to go that far, but one shouldn’t go in the other direction, especially when they have the tools and platform to make a difference. Celebrating humanity through art and words can easily be achieved. Dialog regarding a nation in dire times should be uplifting. Empowering. Grand. Not demoralizing. Shameful, disgraceful or humiliating. Think. Put yourself on the other side. As this will affect positive change.
