Vodou Funeral : Abeille’s brother places an oil lamp on his head. He’d been visited by Abeille’s spirit, and was told by him to place it upon the forehead of the body during the ceremony, once the coffin was closed Abeille’s brother placed the oil lamp on his own head, after which he carried it for the rest of the day.
I rang my driver, Sergo, on my first day in Haiti and asked him if he was available and still keen to help me. He said he’d be happy to, “but I can’t today. My friend was killed last night and I have to go to the police station to give a character statement.” Sergo’s friend, Abeille, was on the roof of his house late that night fixing his TV aerial when his neighbor, also an adversary, thought he was a burglar. The neighbor, called out to ask who it was. “It’s only me, Abeille.” Bang! The gun was fired and Abeille was shot square between the eyes. Further to speculation of the political difference between the two men, there is also the undeniable reality that in order to shoot someone between the eyes one needs to see the face. This would constitute Abeille's death as a murder. Abeille’s killer was released from prison on bail for $20,000. Abeille's friends and family wanted justice, so his funeral would be the first public Vodou funeral of its kind. Contrary to rural areas the religion of Vodou (Haitian spelling) in Port au Prince, has always been practiced behind closed doors due to the intense pressure from strong Christian missionary bodies and governmental influences. This tragedy is a strong representation of a country not only touched by loss, but by violence and murder on a daily basis, in a way we in the West can hardly imagine.
Size: 2000px × 3008px
Location: Port au Prince, Haiti
Photo credit: © Christina Simons / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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