Posted on 01/06/2006 4:54:50 PM PST by MRMEAN
As millions of Beninois prepare for the annual voodoo festival of offering prayers and animal sacrifices, do we really understand what voodoo is?
Once banned, voodoo is now an official religion in Benin, where the practice was born. About 60% of the country's 7 million people practise the religion. Forms of voodoo also exist in Togo, Ghana, Haiti and Brazil.
Followers believe in a supreme God and spirits who link the human with the divine.
Spirits are thought to exist in many things - from the earth, wind, thunder, giant baobab trees and pythons.
But for centuries the religion has been associated with black magic used for evil purposes and based on animal and human sacrifices.
Is voodoo a force for good or evil? Is there a place for voodoo in modern Africa? Does voodoo play an important part in your family? Do you have any voodoo stories to tell us?
Send us your comments and experiences using the form on the right, or text us to
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. If you would like to take part in the
Africa Have Your Say
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Your comments:
My grandfather used to have voodoo known as 'mabieh'. When I was a small boy, my grand father used to bless me along with other kids by speaking audibly to his voodoo or mabieh in order to chase away the sickness from us.The bad thing was after the death of my grandfather some years ago, his elder son called upon Christians to his home from a neighbouring village and burnt down all voodoo materials to ashes. So voodoo or mabieh does not exist now in our home in south Sudan.
Peter Tuach, Minnesota ,USA
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I think voodoo is a force of evil and should be banned
Emmanuel Adelaja, UK
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I think voodoo is a force of evil and originates from Satan. It is outright devil worship where people are remotely controlled and manipulated for evil. This is obvious when you realise that countries which make voodoo their national religion, or have the large population of them practicing it, remain the poorest countries in the world. I have seen people being manipulated and hypnotised for years and made to live under terrible conditions. This religion should be banned.
Emmanuel Adelaja, Bracknell, UK
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If voodoo is evil, then all the major world religions are so too
Anand Nair, India
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Voodoo is a good religion. It is the missionaries who portray it as devil worship. It is a part of the African culture. If voodoo, one of the world's oldest religions, is evil, then all the major world religions are so too.
Anand Nair, Haridwar, Uttaranchal State, India
Voodoo, for many of these nations, provides a form of worship that was not brought over by the Europeans - and in my mind that is a good thing.
Alex Theoharides, United States
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I do not believe any good things can come out of voodoo.
Emmanuel Osunkoya, Chicago, USA
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My father before he passed away 30 years ago used to be a voodoo priest. The short period I lived with him I know that voodoo power existed. This power is evil and they use it to do evil things. A voodoo priest can use his voodoo power to kill and torment people. I do not believe any good things can come out of voodoo. The power of voodoo is limited. Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ has greater spiritual power than any voodoo man or woman.
Emmanuel Osunkoya, Chicago, USA
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I think voodoo, like the cutlass, could be used for both good and bad purposes.
Ike Tetteh, Accra
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I think voodoo, like the cutlass, could be used for both good and bad purposes. If one considers the fact that Africa had its religion before the advent of the Bible, then we can only say that voodoo is for good. Voodoo punishes sins and that serves as a deterrent. Christianity or any other religion says pray for forgiveness and that is increasing the number of thieves in our societies. If we don't come back to our roots, then we will always be deceived by these so-called men of God.
Ike Tetteh, Accra
In films and television programmes voodoo is portrayed as a force of evil. We always see the necks of chickens being cut and voodoo dolls being pricked. What I would like to understand is the origin of voodoo and why is it so taboo? Surely to be so well established there must be positive elements to it?
Melanie, Wimbledon, England
There is absolutely no truth to voodoo. It is a state of mind, a farce, used by fraudulent individuals to control and exploit the weak! I will volunteer for any voodoo experimentation under the following conditions: 1. I am not asked to ingest anything, 2. I am not asked to apply any fluids, ointments, powders or gases, to my body, 3. the event takes place in open air for all to witness, 4. there's no physical contact between me and the voodoo practitioner!
Godfrey Ofem, Chicago, USA
Channeling Marie Le Beau.....
Down in Lou´siana where the black trees grow
Live a voodoo lady named Marie Laveaux.
She got a black cat tooth and a mojo bone,
And anyone wouldn´t leave her alone.
She go GREEEEEEEEEEEE...
Another man done gone.
Laveau
Tomb of Marie Laveau, "Voodoo Priestess"
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans, Louisiana
Thanks. I didn't think that looked right. Should have verfied (OMG! I'm like the MSM !!!) before I posted.
It's very bad to steal Jobu's rum. Very, very bad.
Oh, come on ... a misspelled name can hardly compare to revisionist history, fraudulent misrepresentation of fact, and downright untruths ... you are a mere piker by comparison and have a L O N G way to go to catch up with the MSM! LOL
[Marie Laveau just happens to be one of my favorite of the New Orleans characters ... but I was never able to visit her tomb ... it is way too dangerous to go into one of those old walled graveyards ... easy prey for criminals who can block off the only way out ... ]
Believe me, it is NOT something you want to mess with.
LSD is bad crap, too.
Voodoo economics?
No, but people whom I've met have had experience with it. If you didn't know them, you'd swear by their stories that they were certifiably insane or outright liars.
It suffices to say that voodoo is very Satanic in its practices and it is not uncommon for multiple demonic possessions on the level of whole villages taking place around voodoo.
As I said, not something that needs to be messed with.
It's WONDERFUL!!!
ANYTHING but Christianity ... ;)
(Just kidding)
If anything the secular idiots think Christianity is bad for you.
Voodoo is Satanic! It's also the national religion of Haiti, which just goes to show people where it all ends up when you practice Satanism.
It's certainly not a force for good. Is it a force for bad? That's giving the voodooists too much credit. They'd be more effective in causing mischief if they chased down and stuck those pins directly into their victims.
On the other hand, how do you do that voodoo that you do so well?
Sticking pins in WJC doll to make him flap like a chicken during foreign press conferences = even better voodoo
Voodoo, and all things like it are of a satanic origin. And I don't use Satan in a figurative sense; I mean literally.
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