THE LIVING DEAD

 

The Living Dead – Zombies

Voodoo’s export through slavery to Haiti
Haiti is the second part of this exciting series following the odyssey of Voodoo. 
Recently devastated by the natural elements with a massive earthquake, synonymous with Vodou.  In this country that won its independence more than 200 years ago, violence, rape and kidnapping are commonplace.

Haiti was where Columbus first landed, has a principle role to play in the Voodoo saga. It was from here that a Voodoo ceremony sparked the revolt of the 700,000 slaves against the 40,000 whites exploiting them. With the help of Voodoo, Toussaint Louverture  the great revolutionary,  beat the powerful French Napoleonic army.  It was the world’s only successful slave uprising which led to Haiti’s independence. Haiti introduced  "zombification" - the art of reviving the dead. The cult of the Zombies inspired Hollywood to exploit Voodoo in the horror genre of films. Celebrated by the film Live & Let die, Baron du Samedi is a persona unique to Haiti with a skull face and top hat and tuxedo. A powerful fearsome figure which was adopted by the  dictator  to tyranise the people. Voodoo was strongly linked and exploited by the notorious “Tonton Macoutes” (“Bogeymen”), a private force responsible for terrorizing and assassinating alleged foes of the regime. 
This films explores the diverse and unusual powerful Voodoo rituals and how the religion turned to the “dark side” as Voodoo priests turned to poisoning their enslavers.  The particular duality of Haiti’s Voodoo to heal or kill is  examined.
The apparent poisoning of a AIDS medic who criticized the local Voodoo priests who maintained they had the cure for AIDS. We have unique access to a principal Chief Voodoo priest who claims to be able to cure AIDS. We interview the witnesses to the public strange death of the medic.
Various diverse and unique pilgrimages take place in far corners of the country, in stunning settings of mountains and sea of majestic purifying waterfalls to mud baths, the various animals sacrifices and unusual symbolic rituals take place including drinking of the blood
Haitian artists were forged in the fires of revolution and voodoo. Vodou and Haitian mythology permeates the soul of the Haitian and its art . In the gangland area of croix des bouquets the heavy sounds of hammering replaces the sound of gunfire as the various metal sculptures and blacksmith forge
A woman declared dead and buried by a village who has been brought back from the dead…all are part of this strange and altered mix of Voodoo and its strange mutation after arriving on the Carribean island.