- Jun 24, 2007
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Listen to the reporters terminology - the catch phrases which demonize this ancient tradition practiced by 30+ million people in Benin, Togo and Ghana alone.
This is the most misunderstood practice/religion on the globe in one of the most euro fought regions on the globe. While it is sensationalized in Hollywood & you can buy scary trinkets in New Orleans.. it's practice is ancient African.. yet we are far to willing to look at this from the euro perspective with an outcry of "barbaric!", automatically dismissing the traditional rites of passage which keep the practice alive - yet at the same time, we want to spiritually "go home"
I cant speak for this practice in particular, but I understand African rites of passage and their importance to sustaining culture/community. This is the same type of report that has 'stolen' rites of passage of Zulu men - who as adolescents have been 'taken' from their villages to live with their elders and priests away from all distraction, where they are taught particular rituals and need to earn their rites of passage... and eventually circumcised, traditionally, to return home as MEN. Reports like this have missionaries out 10-fold, and their mission is uniform - kill tradition and conform to their ways. the same white reporters who call the Chinese in Africa 'slavemasters' too rich, I tell you...
"ooga booga" has got to go!
Vodun is powerful. Vodun is ancient. I am not too concerned with the rituals performed - I am more concerned with the willingness of us to believe it is wrong/barbaric, based on.. what? At who's word? In what tradition? Within whose culture? As much as we'd like to believe "white is right" - it's not
Again, listen to the reporters words.. his agenda is clear. Sometimes that's all it takes to understand the 'purpose' of his message - and it is not to save Vodun children.
Zulile
This is the most misunderstood practice/religion on the globe in one of the most euro fought regions on the globe. While it is sensationalized in Hollywood & you can buy scary trinkets in New Orleans.. it's practice is ancient African.. yet we are far to willing to look at this from the euro perspective with an outcry of "barbaric!", automatically dismissing the traditional rites of passage which keep the practice alive - yet at the same time, we want to spiritually "go home"
I cant speak for this practice in particular, but I understand African rites of passage and their importance to sustaining culture/community. This is the same type of report that has 'stolen' rites of passage of Zulu men - who as adolescents have been 'taken' from their villages to live with their elders and priests away from all distraction, where they are taught particular rituals and need to earn their rites of passage... and eventually circumcised, traditionally, to return home as MEN. Reports like this have missionaries out 10-fold, and their mission is uniform - kill tradition and conform to their ways. the same white reporters who call the Chinese in Africa 'slavemasters' too rich, I tell you...
"ooga booga" has got to go!
Vodun is powerful. Vodun is ancient. I am not too concerned with the rituals performed - I am more concerned with the willingness of us to believe it is wrong/barbaric, based on.. what? At who's word? In what tradition? Within whose culture? As much as we'd like to believe "white is right" - it's not
Again, listen to the reporters words.. his agenda is clear. Sometimes that's all it takes to understand the 'purpose' of his message - and it is not to save Vodun children.
Zulile