Voodoo (Vodun) refers to a variety of religious practices and traditions – on the coast of West Africa as well as in Haiti and Louisiana. In Brazil, people talk about Candomblé and in Cuba about Santería. What they all have in common is the reference to spirits that originally come from Africa. In this podcast interview, anthropologist and religious studies scholar Birgit Meyer traces how Christian missionaries systematically demonized the Vodun gods – and kept the belief in them alive in the process. Meyer also talks about Vodun as a resource for protection and healing, about the openness of Vodun priests towards the internet and new media, and about museum pieces in which hungry spirits await a sacrifice.
In German, podcast in the series Erleuchtung garantiert, Theological Faculty, Zürich University, interview by Dorothea Lüddeckens.