Voodoo: Cult or Religion?

Описание: Voodoo (or more precisely Vodou) has long been associated with malevolent forces, zombies, witch doctors, primitive and macabre rituals, and otherworldly phenomena. But is this the reality, or has it been viewed through a carefully crafted lens? This presentation will focus on the misconceptions and the realities of Vodou. Rooted in religious African traditions, it evolved in Haiti under the name Vodou, but strikingly similar practices are found all over the Caribbean islands. From Cuba (Santería and Vodú), Jamaica (Obeah), Puerto Rico (Sanse), to as far south as Trinidad and Tobago, they all evolved from that original thread in Africa. Practitioners are free to worship their deities openly in some countries, but not in others. This talk will begin to lift the veil on some of these mysteries.

Jean (Rudy) Perrault is director of orchestras and a professor of music at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Perrault coaches chamber music, conducts both the symphony and chamber orchestras, and teaches violin, viola, and the graduate conducting classes. Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he earned his master’s degree in violin performance from Temple University. He has guest conducted numerous ensembles in Trinidad, Cuba, Panama, France, Sweden, Russia, Haiti, Brazil, Italy, and Turkey. A Fulbright Scholar, Perrault has conducted music teacher training in Trinidad and Tobago and research on “pan literacy.”

This presentation was part of Missouri Southern State University's Caribbean Semester. The presentation was streamed live in Cornell Auditorium on October 22, 2020 at 1:00 p.m.