Tourisme et vodou en Haïti : nouveaux acteurs et nouvelles dynamiques

Abstract

Voodoo’s strong influence in the touristic past of Haiti and the revival of tourism in this country, with culture as its main icon, motivated us to study the new relationships of the binomial notions (tourism/voodoo). Based mainly on research carried out with voodoo practitioners in Souvenance (Gonaïves, Haiti), we argue that beyond the economic concerns of different Haitian governments, tourism is considered by certain groups in the country as a huge market, a golden mine and like a precious icon to enhance their community and to change and prettify the image of their cultural and religious expression.The new tourists we meet in the spaces of voodoo practices are mostly Haitians who have very little knowledge of voodoo, foreign visitors in search of "authentic" religious practices, first generation Haitian migrants and their descendants in search of their roots, animated by a quest of meaning as well as a personal, memorial and spiritual deep quest.

Keywords

• Haiti
• tourism
• voodoo
• migration
• cultural heritage