ReligionDispatches.org

Thanks for a clear and reasonable explanation of how this movie misrepresents Voodoo. My own kids (7 and 5) didn't say anything specifically about "Voodoo" when we came out of the theater, though they were scared by the spirits/shadows who hunted for the frogs in the bayou. My own area is not in Voodoo, so I had a couple of questions for you:
1) Is the necessity of love that Mama Odie preaches simply the Disney take-home message for kids, or is this a central belief of Voodoo?
2) Does the time period of the movie affect its depiction of Voodoo?
3) Is New Orleans Voodoo limited to the African American community, or do white Cajuns also participate? (The lightning bugs seem to have a pretty clear sense of it, but as you say, I don't expect to learn much from the movie.)

Just another thought: I liked the music and felt the composer (Randy Newman?) drew positively on gospel, jazz, and zydeco. Did you notice if he weaved in any other sounds typical of Voodoo?

Thanks again for a good write-up.

Whoops, I thought of one more thing. Regarding my first question about getting what you need rather than what you want: this doesn't sound right to me. My own research on borderlands folk saints suggests that asking saints for things one wants is perfectly acceptable. Indeed, the interactions with saints is often quite contractual and does not depend necessarily on the purity of intention or emotion. What I've read about loas leads me to think that their petitioners would not be outside of their rights to ask for things they want rather than what they strictly need. Just wondering.

True, there is nothing wrong with asking the saints for what one wants. In the Catholic tradition as well as in Voodoo, there are saints dedicated to specific causes. Some of these saints, like St. Jude for hopeless cases and St. Christopher for travellers, are widely and officially recognized. Others are not officially recognized, yet still very popular among those who know and love them.

Recently I prayed and burned candles to Jesus Malverdes, a lesser known and unofficial saint in regard to a matter of his speciality, the law. My daughter's car had been stolen; the next day after I lit candles to him, the car was returned in good condition. It is unlikely that Jesus Malverdes will ever be officially honored as a Catholic saint, because in his lifetime he was a bandit; moreover, some people pray to him to help with their drug transactions. Even so, he is very popular and powerful, and well known for helping people get what they want as well as what they need.

Marie Laveau, who is now widely respected as a voodoo saint, was in her time a popular priestess. She was known for her prayers and rituals, which she would perform for anyone for a small fee, to help others get what they wanted as well as what they needed. Her "day job" was as a hairdresser, thus, she daily heard the confidences and petitions of all sorts of people. Then, after hours, she'd go to her real work of relaying these wants and needs to the other side, often with results which became legends heard to this day. I've met her in Spirit, a very beautiful and powerful woman. She is very kind and loving to those who offer her love, respect, as well as the traditional token gifts that she appreciates as her connection with this material world.

Even in mainstream Catholicism, there is nothing wrong with asking for what you want as well as what you need. In any large city with a significant Catholic population, one can attend novenas to St. Jude, patron of impossible cases, or obtain medals and prayer cards to St. Christopher for protection in travelling, or St. Joseph for matters of family or employment, or St. Peregrin for cancer, or St. Anthony for recovery of lost objects, etc. Often the offical versions of these prayers have some sort of nod to "if it be God's will," however, those who make these prayers often regard them as a contractual arrangement, and can often tell of personal favors that they have received from the saints. For this reason, some other Christian folk regard Catholicism as thinly disguised paganism, not properly Christian at all. But practicing Catholics stoutly defend their Christianity; in fact, some of the older ones insist that theirs is the truest and purest form of Christianity due to their heritage of apostalic succession.

As a passant-blanc ("white") Creole from New Orleans who has made a study of world religions, I can answer a few of your questions.

1) Is the necessity of love that Mama Odie preaches simply the Disney take-home message for kids, or is this a central belief of Voodoo?

There are 3 main traditions within voodoo, which can be further divided into numerous minor traditions. In one of these main traditions, which is by far the most popular one among the masses, love is indeed necessary. In this tradition, the loas and ancestors are regarded as beloved friends and relatives, and the rituals are mainly concerned with healing, establishing community, and honoring the seasons. On the other hand, voodoo isn't all sweetness and light; one must remember that it developed within the context of slavery with all of its horrors. Those enslaved had little recourse in the material world against the cruelty and injustices that they endured, so some of the more negative elements of voodoo developed in response to this plight.

2) I can't really answer this one, since I haven't seen the movie. But my sense is that the answer is no. Movies generally depict their subjects in a sensationalized way meant to excite audiences and sell tickets rather than to educate or inform. This trend occurs whether the movie depicts love and relationships, minority religions, or anything else.

3) Yes, white Creoles sometimes participate in voodoo. It is a very beautiful and powerful religion and it is human nature for some to be drawn to such beauty and power, regardless of their skin color. In fact, a prominent voodoo priestess currently practicing in New Orleans is white. A famous New Orleans musician is white and makes no secret of his voodoo affiliation. As for me, my birth certificate says white and most people say I'm white; even so, I've visited many voodoo temples and been welcome there. Some believe that the power is rare in white people; however, when it does occur, it is particularly strong. Nevertheless, Voodoo is mainly an African diaspora religion, and the vast majority of its devotees are people of color.

Also, this question confuses Creoles and Cajuns. Cajuns are descendants of the exiled Acadians from Canada who were banished to Louisiana when Canada changed hands from France to English and the Acadians refused to convert to the Anglican church and salute the English king. Rural folk from the lowlands of Canada, they settled in the rural areas of Louisiana and continued their way of life, living off the land. Creoles, who are a more urban folk, are descendants of the earliest French and Spanish settlers to Louisiana, mixed with the indigenous peoples and the African slaves; thus, there are no truly white Creoles. All Creoles of necessity have some Native or African ancestry because the earliest European settlers to Louisiana were young single males. Those that appear white, sometimes referred to as passant-blanc, appear so only because their non-white ancestors are remote enough that their heritage is not immediately apparent to the eye.

About the movie's use of "sounds typical of Voodoo" I cannot say, because I have not seen it. However, at a voodoo ritual one would hear rich polyrhythmic drumming and chanting. It's an ancient and very sacred music, bearing only slight resemblance to popular or secular music.

Thanks for your questions. It is good to see people questioning what they see in the popular media, and seeking to know what is true.

In a way, the blatant racism of the film and its misrepresentation of Vodou does not at all surprise me... given Walt Disney was a supporter of the Nazi Movement. It is actually in true Disney fashion, given the deep and often unnoticed history of Walt Disney himself. However, one would hope that by now, Disney as a corporation would have transcended such prejudices against other peoples and religions.

(It's important to note, however, that whether or not Walt Disney truly was anti-semetic is still a question for debate)

All too true, a sad and little known fact about Walt Disney. And there is no reason for Disney as a corporation to transcend any such prejudices. Corporations exist for one reason only: to make money and transfer this wealth upward. Prejudice against minorities is often supportive of those who would transfer wealth from the masses to the ruling class.

I don't know if this will gain me some sort of flaming or what, but I like Disney. I grew up watching Disney, and as far as I can tell, they're big fans of making kid-friendly fantasy stories - perhaps with a bit of true fairy tale thrown in. I mean, the Princess and the Frog story isn't even African based. Why doesn't somebody gripe about that? Maybe, because it's not really a big deal... I think people will take it for what it is: a cute, kid-friendly story with plenty of memorable characters and magic. If you can be okay with the Simpsons doing a story with 'Wiccans' who were nothing of the sort, why complain when Voodoo is just used as the name for the magic of the Fairy Godmother character and the bad guy? If this movie becomes a success, the producers will not have to go to any loan lenders for now.