How was Vodou demonized by popular culture in Western Media as a result of Christianity being introduced to the developing nation of Haiti?

Abstract

The distorted lens of whitewashing that African spirituality has been viewed through created irreparable damage to the reputation and perception of Vodou in Western popular media. The melding of cultures on the island of Hispaniola- dating back to as early as the end of the 15th century – created the transcontinental religion that the majority of Americans refer to as "Voodoo," and the unity of this spiritual practice provided the momentum needed to begin the pipeline of Afro-Caribbean independence, starting with the Haitian Revolution of 1791, to the bastardization of Vodou in popular culture as a result of Christianity being introduced to the developing nation of Haiti through colonization in its early stages. This paper will examine how the demonization of Vodou, and subsequently, African spirituality as a whole, in popular media and academic research perpetuated micro-aggressive notions- devil-worshipping, the Black Jezebel stereotype, and raising the dead to terrorize those that had wronged them, to name a few - to push the agenda of white supremacy in all forms, including religion.