February 23, 2010
The Role of Soulouquerie in Haiti's Notorious Bad Press (1)
With the publishing of "The Serpent and the Rainbow" in 1985 (2), Wade Davis soared onto best-seller lists in America and other parts of the world as the entrepreneurial Harvard anthropologist who journeyed into the heart of Voodoo-land (Haiti) and returned home with what can be called the Holy Grail of Haitian witchcraft: the much vaunted, supposedly magic formula used by Haitian sorcerers to bring the dead back to life. This daring tale of adventure couched as a genuine scientific investigation, and the aura of Harvard to boot, gave Davis instant recognition as the preeminent authority on the Haitian zombie, if not as an expert on life after death, in general. But, despite the worldwide acclaim and the warm accolades it ended up generating for the author, Davis's investigation of the Haitian zombie actually did nothing to clarify the zombie issue as it exists in the Haitian folklore. More than anything, it has solidified Haiti's reputation as a place where the strangest things happen, needlessly contributing to the negative portrayal of the country, a common fare in the international press. more...