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• 1 media/Haiti-e4f874dfb4e14b3ab929c6bf86287b82.jpg 2022-03-07T14:31:58-08:00 Haitian and Bahamian Religion and Culture 13 plain 2022-03-18T20:58:11-07:00

  Another similarity between Haiti and the Bahamas is the religious practices. Both countries have a large Christian population. The Christian Church was brought to the colonies by the French and British, and it became one of the largest practiced religions in both Caribbean countries. The 2018 Report on Religious Freedom in the Bahamas from the United States showed that in Bahamas schools there was a focus on Christian teachings and the government uses Christian prayers. However, the local religions have a small but meaningful place in their respective cultures. In Haiti the practice of vodou consists of a mixture of chanting, dancing, and attempts to interact with spirits. Most Haitian locals believe that they can participate and believe in the Catholic Church and their local vodou practices at the same time. Similarly, in the Bahamas, a small part of the population practices a religion similar to vodou called Obeah. Obeah was actually brought to the Bahamas from Haitian immigrants, but is illegal in the country today and punishment can be up to three months in prison (US Department of State). Citizens of both countries maintain the belief that their Catholic beliefs and vodou practices can be practiced at the same time with no point of conflict. On the topic of religion, both Haiti and the Bahamas have very similar religious practices and national religions.

  Alongside the religious similarities between the two countries, the cultural and artistic practices of these countries are also comparable. In Haiti, one way in which their artistic practices are unique is because they give insight into the struggles local Haitians dealt with ranging from slavery to today. Art to the locals is a form of expression and rebellion. An example of this is seen with the poem Parsley by Rita Dove. In her poem, Rita Dove writes about the brutal life of slaves on sugar plantations. She describes how the word “perejil” would determine whether people would live. Trujillo, the Dominican dictator, would tell Haitians living in the Dominican Republic to pronounce the word “perejil” or “parsley”. If they could roll their R’s then they were European enough, and if they could not then they were massacred.  Rita Dove describes this in her poetry to create a visual image of what a determination like this stood for. She paints an artistic picture of Trujillo and how he considered his mother to be the image of perfection because she could roll her R’s like the Spanish (Dove). In this case, poetry was a form of expression against a horrendous act of cruelty. 

  Alongside poetry, another way in which arts and culture is used for local people to express themselves is through cultural festivals. Both Haiti and the Bahamas have traditional festivals that are forms of cultural expression. In Haiti, this festival is called Rara. It consists of people in bright colored costumes, singing and dancing through the streets. This festival is a way for the Haitians to connect to the vodou religion. It allows local Haitians to express both themselves and their beliefs through these public art practices. Vodou is considered to be a welcoming and accepting practice that brings together a large part of the community. In the documentary “Of Gods and Men”, one of the gay men they are following describes vodou and its practices like Rara, to be a place that they can come and be accepted in a way that they cannot in everyday life in Haiti. These festivals are special to the locals because they reflect their local Haitian heritage and their African ancestry through the dancing and chanting. Similarly, in the Bahamas there is also an emphasis on using local culture as part of the art. Bahamian music is split into three main categories consisting of Goombay, Rake n’ Scrape, and Junkanoo. Goombay is the earliest form of music in the Bahamas and comes from Afro-descent, connecting people to their African ancestry consisting of drumbeat rhythms. Rake n’ Scrape comes specifically from Cat Island and is a hybrid of European and African music that would have folk dancing go along with it. Lastly is Junkanoo which is very common. Junkanoo originated from slavery and accompanies a festival, quite similar to that of the Rara festival in Haiti. It also consists of bright color, song and dance, and goatskin drums. This festival is performed on Boxing Day and New Years. Both Haiti and the Bahamas have unique cultural and religious practices that contribute to their shared Caribbean Identities, which in turn affect how the countries are functioning today.

   

  Goombay Music: Blind Blake 

  Junkanoo Festival