Haitian voodoo (or vodou as it’s called in the Caribbean, a word derived from the ancient African vodu meaning ‘divine creation’) was born from the 16th century slave trade, when Africans were kidnapped and transported to Haiti to work on plantations owned by French colonists.

Upon their arrival in the Caribbean, African slaves were baptised and forced to convert to Catholicism – the religion of their captors – and abandon their traditional beliefs. And as time-honoured African religious practices were seen as a threat to the colonial system, they were immediately outlawed; and anyone who refused to comply was imprisoned, whipped or hung.

The slaves shipped to Haiti were taken from the West African Fon, Ewe and Yoruba peoples, who share religious beliefs centred around Nana Buluku, the God-Creator, along with the vodous, the daughters and sons of the supreme being’s twin children Mawu (goddess of the moon) and Lisa (god of the sun). The slaves also invested religious significance in their ancestors, and believed that the living could communicate with the spirits of departed family members.

In an attempt to keep ancient traditions alive behind their captors’ backs, Haitian slaves hatched an ingenious plan. Because there were so many similarities between Catholicism and African beliefs – both venerated a supreme being, believed in spirits, and looked forward to an afterlife – the religions were easy to meld. This process was made easier as ceremonies in both religions revolved around a central point – a tree or pole in African religions, and an altar in Catholicism – and services included a symbolic or actual sacrifice and consumption of flesh and blood.

To the eyes of their captors, the slaves were dutifully observing the Catholic faith; but in reality, they were disguising their spirits as Catholic saints, and incorporating Christian prayers into services to hide their ‘pagan’ beliefs. And as many colonial leaders allowed their slaves to stage special dances at weekends in attempt to keep their workforce happy, many displaced Africans were still able to practice the rites that were the centrepiece of ancient religious rituals.