One cannot but encounter the fact that Vodou practice occurs as an integral part of Haitian national identity even though, officially, Haiti is a Catholic country. To put it another way, despite the fact that the government of Haiti put a lot of effort into eradicating Vodou from the society, the ongoing reality within the community continues to move to the rhythms of this oral tradition. As a syncretic religion, it is to a great extent that Vodou occupies the first place in daily activities among many Haitians; and although practitioners of Haitian Vodou reflect upon their spirit religion as a system of symbols by means of which an individual can undergo purification of emotions, U.S. media can be identified as chiefly finding connection between a creolized religion and the acts of inhumane treatment. More importantly, however, such a stance towards Haiti’s physical manifestation of spirits exacerbates race relations in the United States. It becomes apparent that the traditional religion of Vodou emerges to be a hotly-debated issue in the U.S. media today. To be precise, a vast amount of films and television shows draw special attention to the rituals of Vodou, making an emphasis on their considerable controversy. In any way, of all two-fold aspects of Vodou practice represented in U.S. media, the one that directly alludes to violent worship services having much in common with African-American community seems to cause the hottest debate among the public. One has to be conscious that methodically-designed portrayals of Haiti’s spirit religion as uncivilized and, namely, African-American can be noted with shaping the overall public perception, which in turn raises concerns among African Americans. Of course, a sharpened focus on a truly barbaric nature of Vodou comes to uncover the extent to which it rests upon Satanic practices. On the other hand, an emphasis on strong ties that Haiti’s religion has with African Americans can only escalate the problem with racial tension. In sum, one cannot help but become aware that Vodou has been negatively represented in U.S. media, which has made its practitioners an object of mockery and laughter. In addition, it is about to the misrepresentation of Vodou in U.S. media that exposes white racism in the society.
It is imperative to understand that about one half of all Haiti’s population adheres to Vodou rituals and ceremonies. Those who follow Vodou believe in exceptionally one god. Regardless of this fact, practitioners often ask their numerous spirits for help. To make it clear, Vodou adherents worship one god; yet, their belief incorporates serving the saints as well. Speculating upon followers of Vodou in Haiti, one has to take into consideration the fact that their devotion to the spirits constituted distinctive cultural landscapes. Yes, Vodou has made a great contribution to the development of Haiti’s cultural landscape in ways of the prevailing architectural style and housing. Additionally, it is important to make mention of many sacred spaces, including altars as well as the places of worship that cover most of Haiti’s rural areas. Of course, the aforementioned cultural landscape cannot but affect Haiti’s society in a way that more and more people become obsessed with Vodou practice and clump into new religious communities, respectively.
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Religious buildings and sacred places impact the public’s daily experiences. I had a chance to live in Nepal, one of the countries with the highest Hindu population. I must admit that moving to another country was really scary, since I did not know how everything worked there. Nonetheless, as I soon understood, local residents were deeply religious people, which in turn helped me get adapted to their unique cultural landscape and daily lifestyle. Certainly, Hinduism shaped Nepalese built environment to a great extent. Special attention should be paid to incalculable Hindu altars that one can see especially in rural areas; and the significance of pilgrimage places cannot be understated as well. In my view, Nepali people can be characterized by living an enthusiastic life even though economically distressed situation predisposes the population to experience bitter fixtures of everyday life. Apart from the above-said, I would like to focus on Hindu prayer flags in the Himalayas. This attribute of Hinduism gives the chance to understand that Nepalese cultural identity is founded on a set of strong religious beliefs. For people in Nepal, Hinduism serves as a non-violent tool for actions. Hinduism has affected the layout of places in a way that enabled local community to take the role of religion extremely seriously. The infrastructure around Hindu temples is well-organized, making them enchanting places to visit. After a thorough consideration, I can say that measuring the well-being of a person in Nepal centres around the level of his/her spirituality.
