How Religion Influences the Way Haitians Understand Health and Receive Treatment

How Religion Influences the Way Haitians Understand Health and Receive

TreatmentObjectives of the Lecture:

1. Haitian worldview vs. American worldview2. Three major religions in Haiti 3. In what ways do Christian beliefs affect how

Haitians view and receive health? 4. Haitian understanding of health, illness, and treatment 5. Role of Haitian spiritual leaders 6. What is the idea of fatalism?

Remember the classification of Haiti as a “high-risk” group for AIDS?

Remember the classification of Haiti as a “high-risk” group for AIDS?

“commentators linked AIDS in Haiti to ‘Voodoo practices.’ Something that went on around ritual fires triggered AIDS in cult adherents, a category presumed to include the quasi-totality of Haitians.”

The importance of the link between Haitian religion and health still very much alive today

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/13/pat-robertson-haiti-curse_n_422099.html>

Two Lenses through which to view the world

Two Lenses through which to view the world

Anthropocentric Worldview

→ humans are the center of the universe

Two Lenses through which to view the world

Anthropocentric Worldview

Cosmocentric Worldview

→ humans are the center of the universe

→humans are part of a greater cosmic

Three Major Religions in Haiti• Roman Catholicism: ≈85% of population

Three Major Religions in Haiti• Roman Catholicism: ≈85% of population

• Protestantism: ≈15-20% of population

Three Major Religions in Haiti• Roman Catholicism: ≈85% of population

• Protestantism: ≈15-20% of population

• Voodoo: ≈100% of the population

These church structures are very important in Haiti

“Church structures are one of the primary forms of social infrastructure in Haiti”

These church structures are very important in Haiti

“Church structures are one of the primary forms of social infrastructure in Haiti”

Remember what Kathy Walmer said about this?

Let’s Zoom-in on the way Christianity influences Haitian view and reception of Health

• God’s will

Let’s Zoom-in on the way Christianity influences the view and reception of Health

• God’s will

• Miracles/prayer

How does Voodoo influence Haitian view and reception of health?

• WHAT IS HEALTH?– State of connectedness to and harmony with the

“environment” (on three levels):

How does Voodoo influence Haitianview and reception of health

• WHAT IS HEALTH?– State of connectedness to and harmony with the

“environment” (on three levels):

How does Voodoo influence Haitian view and reception of health

• WHAT IS HEALTH?– State of connectedness to and harmony with the

“environment” (on three levels):

How does Voodoo influence Haitian view and reception of health

• WHAT IS HEALTH?– State of connectedness to and harmony with the

“environment” (on three levels):

• WHAT IS ILLNESS/WHY DOES IT OCCUR?

• WHAT IS ILLNESS/WHY DOES IT OCCUR?– Loss of harmony

between the person and his environment

• WHAT IS ILLNESS/WHY DOES IT OCCUR?– Loss of harmony

between the person and his environment

– Imbalances of the body

• WHAT IS ILLNESS/WHY DOES IT OCCUR?– Loss of harmony

between the person and his environment

– Imbalances of the body

– Sorcery

• WHAT IS ILLNESS/WHY DOES IT OCCUR?– Loss of harmony

between the person and his environment

– Imbalances of the body

– Sorcery

“For many people around Cange, magic spells sent by enemies were the deep cause of many illnesses”

-Mts. Beyond Mts.

• THEY CLASSIFY ILLNESSES– Maladi Bondyè: “visible “diseases, healed with

western medicine

– Maladi fè-moun mal: “invisible” diseases, healed with rituals

• HOW DO HAITIANS ACTUALLY USE TREATMENT?– Spiritual leaders (≈80% of all consultations)

• HOW DO HAITIANS ACTUALLY USE TREATMENT?– Spiritual leaders (≈80% of all consultations)– Hospitals/clinics (only ≈11% of all consultations)

• WHY?

• HOW DO HAITIANS ACTUALLY USE TREATMENT?– Spiritual leaders (≈80% of all consultations)– Hospitals/clinics (only ≈11% of all consultations)

• WHY?

– Recall some reasons why it was hard for ill villagers to make it to Zanmi Lasante

As you can see, spiritual leaders have a big role in health

• Herbalists• Voodoo Priests as co-

therapists and community leaders

Priests as co-therapists

“[Farmer] has dozens of Voodoo priests among his patients, some of them serving as virtual community health workers, brining him ill parishioners.”

“Paying Respect to Traditional Medicine”

• PEPFAR is training traditional healers on HIV/AIDS counseling, testing, prevention

“Haiti calls on voodoo priests to help a battered

nation heal”

• Voodoo priests help in the aftermath of Haitian earthquake

Idea of Fatalism

• Fatalism- the idea that “what will be will be”

What does Farmer have to say about this?

• "'Haitians believe in sorcery because their culture has evolved in the absence of effective medicine. So of course they believe in sorcery, In sicknesses that someone has sent them.”– Mts. Beyond Mts.

Sources Used

A Literature Review, 2010-WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance abuse and Pan American Health Organization: Health, Disabilities, and Rehabilitation Unit.

http://www.cpc.unc.edu/news/features/hope-for-haiti/Mooney_Religions_clip.mp3/view

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/13/pat-robertson-haiti-curse_n_422099.html>

http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2010/02/10/haiti_calls_upon_voodoo_priests_for_help/>

“Paying Respect to Traditional Medicine: Modern Health care groups collaborate with voodoo priests in Haiti to help identify people who are HIV-positive”. The Center for

Public Integrity. <http://projects.publicintegrity.org/aids/report.aspx?aid=811>

Mountains Beyond Mountains. Tracy Kidder

“Rush of Medical Aid to Haiti Follows History of Suffering.” Andrew Schneider. http://disciplenations.wordpress.com/2010/09/23/voodoo-an-african-perspective-on-haitis-poverty/>

http://www.cookross.com/docs/haiti.pdf