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Nan dòmi, le récit d'une initiation vodou. Mimerose P. Beaubrun. La Roque d'Anthéron: Vents d'Ailleurs, 2010. 287 pp. (Paper euro21.00)
The study of Haitian Vodou historically covers three major stages: bosal, kanzo, and pridèzye, corresponding to three progressive levels in understanding the mysteries of Vodou. At the bosal level, a person entering the system wrestles with the myths and superstitions about Vodou to find one's way. One who has undergone the kanzo initiation, opened to deeper knowledge, begins to function adequately in the lakou or the Vodou community, learns to separate facts from fiction, and is prepared to embark on the lifelong learning process of observation and communion with nature. Those who have been called to minister to the people progress to the pridèzye level. Such persons then develop the ability to see into the unknown and to divine. Clark (1982) and Fleurant (1996) have further observed that not only have the study, writing, and research about Vodou gone through those three stages, but 90 percent of the voluminous literature on Vodou falls within the bosal category, which explains a great deal of the prejudice about Haiti and its traditional culture.
Vodou originated in West Africa, amalgamating the rituals and practices of 21 ethnic groups or "nanchon" (some say 101 nations). As an initiatory rite, it usually subjects an adept to a period of seclusion varying from three to seven days, followed by a longer period of reclusion lasting 48 days. The initiate goes...