'An embodiment of white fears': how zombies went from Haitian spiritual tradition to Hollywood monsters
Maya Annik Bedward’s fascinating new documentary goes beyond reductive imagery to place the zombie and vodou in their true historical context
TL;DR
- The documentary 'Black Zombie' argues that Hollywood's depiction of zombies is part of a tradition of racist disinformation.
- Zombies originated in Haiti as a concept to represent the pain of being torn from home and subjected to torture and forced labor.
- American journalist William Seabrook's 1929 book 'The Magic Island' initiated the cultural extraction and distortion of the Haitian zombie, leading to Hollywood adaptations like 'White Zombie' (1932).
- Hollywood collapsed the concepts of zombies and Vodou, using them to embody white fears of Black savagery and revenge.
- Director Maya Annik Bedward aims to restore the truth by engaging Haitians as reliable narrators of their own traditions and spiritual practices.
- The erasure of the Haitian zombie's true history parallels the historical exploitation and ongoing damage inflicted upon Haiti by former colonial powers and contemporary policies.
- The film suggests that shaping culture and history (soft power) can be as destructive as physical violence.