Similarities Between Voodoo And Vodou

Most people when they think of Haiti, they think of it as the country that was first in achieving a slave revolution but they also think about Vodouism. Haiti is well associated with the practice of Vodou, which some would consider witchcraft or black magic when in actuality it is a religion. First and foremost is to clear up the two different spellings, Voodoo and Vodou, why is it that these two spellings exist? Vodou is the original spelling of the religion and the second spelling (voodoo) comes from the misinterpretation of what Vodou really entails. This “voodoo” places a much higher emphasis on the witchcraft and the practice of black magic and is all that is to be believed as Vodou, an evil to society. What is Vodou exactly? In Embodied

This version however is different that the Vodou practiced in Haiti. Here we will switch from Vodou to Voodoo, which was highly popular in the New Orleans area in the United States. Voodoo refers to “any form of spiritual beliefs and practices remotely associated with the Black continent.” This Voodoo is particularly limited to the making of potions, dolls, spell, curses, etc. It is less religious based and more about magic and the supernatural and over the years has become a more a profit-based practice as it fed on people stereotypes to voodoo. Osbey backs this up as well in her journal, We Can’t Talk to You About Voodoo, “First of all there are no dolls in Voodoo. That’s a gimmick borrowed from European witchcraft to cheat the real tourists…Voodoo dolls have been built into the local tourism trade.” Historic New Orleans Voodoo Museum for example is a popular attraction, owned by a “Voodoo” practitioner offers visitors an education and background on voodooism as well as articrafts and various other objects available for sale. Charles Gandolfo founded this museum in 1972; He saw an opportunity and seized it to capitalize on New Orleans legendary Voodoo past. The museum is still up and running and visitors are welcome today which the catch of an entry fee. Voodoo like the Vodou in Haiti made its way to the United States in a similar fashion, through the African diaspora via the Transatlantic Slave