Haiti--Religion, Politics And Duvalier

C. No conclusive break with past

II. Politics

A. Political structure

B. Use of religion in politics

1. Macumba

2. Houngan

III. Duvalier’s Reign

A. Authoritarian regime

1. Religion as a tool

2. Ton Ton Macoutes

B. Influence on Haiti

IV. Duvalier’s fall

A. Influence on political structure

B. Influence on religion

C. Baby Doc

V. Results of Dictatorship

A. Social/cultural

B. Religious

C. Political

D. Economic

When examined closely, however, it has become the ironic case that the Catholic church has itself become largely responsible for the perpetuity of the Voodoo religion. Since the Christian doctrine prohibits itself from being taught alongside Voodoo, especially in conjunction with such inherently political (and far-reaching) matters as education, health care and financial concerns, Voodoo has been allowed an open arena through which, thanks to the lack of Christian competition, it is reinforced. Catholicism, however, because of its strict separatist doctrine, has earned far less recognition among the Haitian commonfolk. Were this not the case, it is reasonable to believe that Voodoo would not long remain the strong religious force that it is today. Because of this, however, the Haitian masses have, by and large, been willing to accept Catholicism, but only by degrees and, at the same time, maintain a reluctance to leave Voodoo behind.

What Haiti represents in the aftermath of Duvalier’s flight and continues to represent is a pre-Revolutionary society. Most Haitians continue to live in pitiful conditions of filth and hunger, and the social inequalities and political tensions which generated the downfall of Baby Doc remain as acute and potentially explosive as ever. There is hardly a glimmer of hope for re-establishing the free press or other basic human rights in the near future, and yet the Haitian peasant goes about his tasks as though poverty were an old friend.

By the time Duvalier’s regime ended Haiti was the poorest country in the western hemisphere. "child mortality, illiteracy and life expectancy were below the national standard....an estimated 1.5 million Haitians had either been forced out, or left looking for a better life." (Prince, 45). Among them were doctors, teachers and other skilled workers that the country desperately needed of it ever hoped to recover from years of neglect. Tourism was down and there had been no infrastructural improvements during the whole of Duvalier’s reign. The roads that did exist had crumbled away, returning Haiti to the sleepy decay that it had known in the previous century.

In the meantime, the Haitians, born of years of want and repression, had adapted their lives to the ways of tyranny. "Duvalier has performed an economic miracle," said one contemporary, "he has taught us to live without money...to eat without food...to live without life." (Ferguson, 59).

Some topics in this essay:
Francois Duvalier, Haiti Voodoo, Catholic Church, Tragically Duvalier, Emperor’s Clothes, Voodounists Catholics, Voodoo Voodoo, Baby Doc, Haitians Duvalier’s, François Duvalier, voodoo religion, catholic church, haitian people, françois duvalier, tonton macovtes, human rights, baby doc, country western hemisphere, political system, political economic, win popular support, political structure, poorest country western, regié du tubac,