There are approximately 9 million people living in Haiti, 80% of them Roman Catholic and 16% protestant. Most of the population practices voodoo, or Vodou as they call it. The main belief is that gods called Loa are lesser gods that serve a higher god called Bondye. Worship is directed toward the Loa. Haitian voodoo is influenced by the voodoo of many other areas, mostly Africa, but also New Orleans, Cuba, and Brazil. On August 14, 1791 a group of voodoo priests vowed to give the country to Satan for 200 years if he would help in liberating it from the French. Haiti gained its independence on January 1, 1804, starting the 200-year reign of the Devil. At that time, Haiti was the richest black-led country in the world. It wasn’t long before it became the poorest country in the western hemisphere. It was recently given back to Jesus, which has made significant impact on the country. A statue of the Ten Commandments now stands in one of the major parks.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the earthquake that happened this January. It will take approximately 3 to 5 years to clear the rubble from the streets of Port-au-prince. 3 million people are in need of help, and between 50,000 and 100,000 people have already died. 197,000 are injured, 692,000 displaced, 2 million in need of food, 1 million in need of shelter, and 500,000 in need of water. The devastation is incredible. These people, who were already the poorest in the western hemisphere with more than 80% of the people living on less than a dollar a day, are desperate for help.
Post a Comment