Thesis: Under the reign of Francois Duvalier, Haiti became synonymous with underdevelopment, corruption, and the mystery of voodoo.
I. Haitian Religions.
A. Catholicism.
B. Voodoo.
C. No conclusive break with past.
II. Politics.
A. Political structure.
B. Use of religion in politics.
1. Macumba.
2. Houngan.
III. Duvalier's Reign.
A. Authoritarian regime.
1. Religion as a tool.
2. Ton Ton Macoutes.
B. Influence on Haiti.
IV. Duvalier's fall.
A. Influence on political structure.
B. Influence on religion.
C. Baby Doc.
V. Results of Dictatorship.
A. Social/cultural.
B. Religious.
C. Political.
D. Economic.
Few countries in the world can claim to rival Haiti for its negative public image. For twenty-nine years Haitians have endured remarkable suffering and deprivation. Globally, the name of Haiti's president, Franzois Duvalier, has become synonymous with corruption and underdevelopment.
Along with political strife, Haitians, under Duvalier's rule, have become divided between the official state religion of Catholicism and the enduring but still unofficial religion of Voodoo. There is a popular Haitian expression which exemplifies this division. It says that Haiti, at its religious center, comprises a whole whose religious beliefs can be summed up as, "90% Catholic and 100% Voodoo." This sentiment, at its base level, illustrates that the Haitian people, while officially and publicly subscribing to Catholicism (the "official" national religion)--the religion of the elite, are not entirely sincere in this admission.
