First Published On: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 in the Tribune newspaper.
ONE of the most controversial subjects in the Bahamas, a topic which has often been too taboo for public discourse, will come to life in an hour-long documentary at the Bahamas International Film Festival this Friday.
In “The Real Voodoo”, documentary filmmaker Sandra Whiteley gives viewers a behind-the-scenes, inside look at the national religion of Haiti, Voodoo.
When she applied to have her film included in BIFF, Ms Whiteley said she knew only of a loose connection between Voodoo and the Bahamas’ indigenous spiritual practice, Obeah.
She knew very little about the historical relationship between the two countries and the deep social tensions that are evoked by the subject of Haiti and Voodoo. Something just drew her to the Bahamas, she said.
While here, she said she hopes the “incredibly uplifting” story of the real Voodoo will open the eyes of the viewing public to a cultural tradition that she feels is unjustly under threat.
Tribune Entertainment sat down with Ms Whiteley for an interview about her film.
Q: What is behind the name of the film, “The Real Voodoo”? I am assuming “real” is supposed to establish a contrast with a fake Voodoo you feel is based on misconceptions?
A: The reason I chose the name was exactly what you said. In the film I talk about when I went to Haiti in 2007. The group of evangelicals I was filming, it was a medical mission. Everything they had to say was bad about it. They talked about evil and all sorts of horrible things. I was really surprised when I met the Vodouisant. They thought I was a missionary. They said I was the first one to visit them and the missionaries have been there for 20 years. I had to tell them sorry, I was not a missionary, I was a filmmaker. The Vodouisant Jaffa, who I interview in the film, was really looking forward to working with the Christians in his community. I found that across the board. The Vodouisant are not trying to get rid of other religions; they are just saying stop trying to get rid of us; we want to work together. The real Voodoo is a culture; it has strength to pull people together; it is an all inclusive culture, it is welcoming, it allows people to be themselves, which is kind of nice for a religion and a spirituality.
Q: Why did you choose film as the medium to tell your story?
A: Just because I think that a lot of people have a misconception as to what Voodoo is and film reaches a lot of people and varied audiences. A lot of the misconceptions are based on ignorance and I thought by making a film people would open their eyes and realise that Voodoo is not what they think it is.
Q: Has the film industry played a negative role in shaping public perception of Voodoo?
A: The film industry has had a great impact in perpetuating the misconceptions about Voodoo because a lot of films that have been made with Voodoo as the theme have all been horror films. “The Serpent and the Rainbow” based on Wade Davis’ book, for example. Although the book had a lot of information that was correct, for the film they went down the line of a horror movie. So even with the proper knowledge they still turned it into a horror movie. Voodoo movies are always evil, always dark, always hurting people. That is sorcery and that is not what Voodoo is.
Q: What has been the impact?
A: A lot of the misconceptions have created problems for people who practice Voodoo. Forty-eight Vodouisant were murdered based on them saying the Vodouisant were spreading cholera. The misconceptions are dangerous. Haiti has never had cholera. The strain of cholera in Haiti is East Asian. The United Nations mission in Haiti is international. It is common knowledge the epidemic was caused from waste being dumped into rivers.
Q: And what of the cultural impact?
A: There is a huge population of evangelicals in Haiti. One of their main objectives is to get rid of Voodoo. It is a part of Haitian culture. It is an oral tradition. If they continue to fight against it, that culture is going to disappear. I believe that getting people to see the real Voodoo is a human rights issue. This is people’s culture; these are people’s beliefs. I don’t think people should be put down or killed for their beliefs.
Q: The perspectives of Christian evangelicals feature prominently in the film. How influential have they been in shaping global perceptions of Voodoo?
A: There are a lot of Christian evangelicals in Haiti and they are there to do good work, but the problem is along with the good work there is a lot of evangelism. In my mind, if you want to go to Haiti to help, that is wonderful and I encourage people, but you have to help people for who they are and not what you want them to be. That is the big problem of the non-governmental organisations. They are not going in to just give medical help and education, they are there to change the Haitian culture.
Q: You captured on film in two instances a sort of stand-off between the Christians and the Vodouisant. What was it like being a part of that and how were you able to capture it?
A: It was Day of the Dead, which is one of the most important days in the Voodoo calendar. It is when they celebrate the ancestors. It has always been a Voodoo holiday, but evangelical Christians are trying to make it their holiday. When we were getting ready for the ceremony the Christians started to gather and they were singing as loud as they could. Wherever there was a Voodoo gathering the Christians would come and gather in the same place and try to take over. The January 12 memorial, the same thing happened. The Christians gathered right outside knowing they were having a memorial and they tried to drown it out. As soon as I heard them singing, I said okay, I can hear it, let us go and film it. It was right there, around the corner, very, very close.
Q: It seems like a very destructive situation when you think about the need for social cohesion in a society. It is almost like a civil war being waged, a spiritual civil war?
A: It is. The Vodouisant are trying to hang on to their culture and get young people involved. Generations have now jumped, where you have a whole generation who are Christians. But people are practicing Voodoo in secret for fear of retribution. But it is now starting to come out again, because a lot of university students and artists are coming out speaking publicly that they are Vodouisant. It is good to see university students being involved in that way. And there are Christian groups who have started to work with Vodouisant.
Q: How widely has the film been shown in Haiti?
A: I haven’t been back to Haiti (since the film wrapped in February 2011). I am going back January 10, 2012. We are going to set up a screening for it. It was shown to some Vodouisant. I didn’t want them to say, ‘you know what, you got it wrong’. The Voodoo community has really embraced the film. I knew they would be my toughest critics. They have been burned by filmmakers in the past. A lot of people would say they are making an informative documentary when they are actually making a counter film against Voodoo. They behave like they are going to do a good film and then they do a bad one. I worked really hard to get into the community to work for them to trust me, so it was really important for them to be happy with the film.
Q: Where else has the film been screened?
A: The film was shown at the Montreal International Black Film Festival. It was interesting because my audience was really split. It was half black and half white and the question and answer period was thrilling. The film opened their interest up to the topic. People asked really intelligent questions. There are a lot of Haitians who think Voodoo is evil. After seeing the film they said, ‘I didn’t know that’ (speaking about the different things they learned from the film).
Q: How did you gain so much access to ceremonies and ensure your presence was not intrusive?
A: I started going to the ceremonies without a camera. I started going as a guest and watching. I went and I went. I do that a lot. I go and become a part of the community before I start to film, so that when I do start to film the people already know me and they are comfortable. That way you get a normalcy; people are not awkward and they are not performing for a camera, because they already know me. From 2007 to 2011 I went over and over and over. I think I have been to Haiti about 40 times for anywhere between four days to five weeks. And then of course I got married there in 2009.
Q: Did the spirits recognise the presence of the camera?
A: The spirits acknowledged the presence a number of times. When people were possessed they did blessings for me. A lot of times the film crew was pulled into the ceremonies. A few times the spirits wanted us to move. We were blocking their way. But everyone seemed happy and I think a big part of it was our intention for the film. We were embraced by the people and the spirits.
Q: Why did you want to bring the film to the Bahamas?
A: I entered my film for consideration and they accepted it. It is funny because with the Bahamas Film Festival I really wanted to get it in, but I don’t know why; it’s just something that was. I am really glad that I did. I have been all over the Caribbean and never to the Bahamas.
I think it is a very uplifting film. For me I found Voodoo incredibly uplifting because it offers strength and a sense of community, especially after the earthquake where so much was lost. The sense of community and strength it gave after the earthquake, I found it incredible.