Rastafari and Vodou

The first attempt by Christopher Columbus to chart a direct trading route from Spain to India was blocked by land previously unknown to Western Society. Assuming the possibility of sailing due east, rather than around the horn of Africa to reach India, Columbus ran into the West Indies of the Caribbean "discovering" the New World. This accidental initial contact in 1492 would set into motion monumental events in world history. For the next three centuries conquest, slavery, and colonization would create a blending and clashing of Native, European, and African cultures in this area of many islands and coastlines of South America, Central America, and North America. New cultures were created through the mingling of separate cultures due to European conquest and the subsequent slave system used to cultivate economic interests. The Haitian Vodou tradition and the Jamaican Rastafarian movement developed out of similar histories, each with their own ideology, theology, and social functions. Although these two religions share many elements, it is interesting to recognize the distinct developments created out of shared circumstances.
In comparing and contrasting the Haitian and Jamaican experiences, I am going to focus on three themes that are consistent in both: history of oppression, Africanism and Christian influence. Both experiences grew out of systems of slavery and subsequent racism. It is interesting to recognize how African traditions were maintained in both instances and how they are incorporated in the Vodou tradition and the Rastafarian movement. It is also interesting how each respond differently to Christian influences.
The use of slave labor flourished throughout the Caribbean from the beginning of European colonialism in the 16th century until slavery was abolished in the middle 19th century. Although Haitian slaves overthrew their French oppressors and gained independence in 1804, they shared a similar fate with Jamaican slaves whom were