06 Mar 2004
Voodoo, an exotic synthesis of African, Caribbean and Roman Catholic beliefs, with freemasonry mixed in too, pervades every facet of life in Haiti, so its role in the downfall of Mr Aristide is, for most, beyond dispute.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/1456192/Voodoo-spirits-get-credit-for-Aristides-flight.html
For those who don’t know what Haitian Vodou (correct spelling ) is, here is a brief explanation :
The principal belief in Haitian Vodou is that there are various deities, or Lwa (commonly spelled Loa), who are subordinate to a greater god, known as Bondyè, who does not interfere with human affairs. Therefore it is to the lwa that Vodou worship is directed. Other characteristics of Vodou include veneration of the dead and protection against evil witchcraft.
It is based upon a merging of the beliefs and practices of West African peoples, (mainly the Fon and Ewe also known as West African Vodun), with Roman Catholic Christianity, which was brought about as African slaves were brought to Haiti in the 16th century and forced to convert to the religion of their owners, whilst they largely still followed their traditional African beliefs.
This suggests to me at least that conversion to Christianity was mostly HALF-HEARTED for a lot of the people.