These images highlight Afro-Caribbean religious life and practice in Greater Boston.
Religious Diversity News: Afro-Caribbean
- ‘Zion80,’ Combining the Music of Fela and Carlebach
The New York Times - Backyard Temple Chicken-Sacrificing Santeria Priest Sues Police for Hurting Ability to Adopt
Christian News Network - UN Condemns Surge of 'Vicious' Witchcraft Attacks on Albinos in Tanzania
WorldWide Religious News/The Christian Post - Voodoo in Africa: Christian demonisation angers followers
WorldWide Religious News/The Guardian
Recent Caribbean immigration to Greater Boston has brought with it a number of African-inspired religions, including Santeria from Cuba and Vodou from Haiti. These traditions acknowledge a supreme God, but emphasize the predominance of many spiritual beings in daily life, some of which have been homologized to Catholic saints and are honored in that context. It is difficult to determine the size of the Afro-Caribbean religious population in Boston as ceremonies are rarely publicized and often take place in private homes. Practitioners frequent botanicas--stores that supply the religious objects for Santeria and Vodou practice such as candles, oils, beads, statues, and herbs--a number of which are present in Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Dorchester, and Somerville. Read full essay
Resources
Spotlight
The Boston Healing Landscape Project
An innovative research initiative at Boston University School of Medicine, the Boston Healing Landscape Project works closely with local Afro-Caribbean religious communities to build new bridges between traditional Western medicine and these alternative forms of healing.