Jan 18, 2008 8:04 pm US/Eastern
FIU: African Spiritual Leaders Seek The Mainstream
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Scholars, priests and spiritual leaders gathered in South Florida on Friday, seeking an understanding of African culture and religion in the mainstream.
The aim is to achieve mainstream acceptance of practices that some might view as extreme.
Voodoo rituals, spells and ritual sacrifice are the stuff movies are made of, but at Florida International University, it was the topic of academia. It was the focus of a conference on African culture and religion that is infused in South Florida.
"So many Cuban Santeria here, Haitian Voodoo specialists, we want to use their knowledge and mainstream them into our academic curriculum," said Dr. Akin Ogundiran, who specializes in African New World Studies for FIU.
Santeria, based on Yoruba Religion from Africa practices animal sacrifices in some instances. It is a practice the Supreme Court said is protected religious speech.
Barbaric to some, to devotees it is a reverent, spiritual act.
"There are prayers that are done to the animal, prayers of atonement, prayers asking the permission of the animal, unlike when you go to Kentucky Fried Chicken or McDonald's," said Yeyefini Efunbolade. "That's slaughter. We don't slaughter animals."
A recent practice that brought media attention and terror in the hearts of many were the unearthed caskets in South Florida cemeteries by nighttime visitors. They are suspected of using human remains, along with animal sacrifice, to invoke the favor of spirits.
Just another day at church, some at the conference believe.
"When voodoo-like followers go into a cemetery and use the remains of humans in their worship, that's sort of like Baptists taking communion on Sunday?" asked CBS4's Gary Nelson.
Absolutely, absolutely," said conference participant Efunlayo Maxey.
"You have the holy sacrament, which is reverence of the dead. You know, you partake in the body and the blood of Christ to emulate the qualities that Christ had. So it's all the same thing."
This is a perspective far from the mainstream in the U.S., but they are looking for a tolerant ear on at FIU.
Followers of religions from the Dark Continent hope that through education and communication, others will come to understand the ways of spells and sacrifice of the living, and the dead. For some, it's going to take a leap of faith.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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