The Voodoo Child

ACE PHOTOGRAPHER, CORENTIN FOHLEN DECIDES TO CHECK OUT THE MYSTIC LAND OF HAITI. WHAT DOES HE DISCOVER?

Voodoo originated in Nigeria and developed throughout the French Empire during the 18th century, practiced by West African peoples who were enslaved. The Code Noir, drawn up by Louis XIV to outline the policing of slavery, explicitly forbade the open practice of all African religions. It dictated that all slaveholders were to convert their slaves to Catholicism within eight days of their arrival in Saint-Domingue, the French colony known today as Haiti. This task proved to be impossible, yet nevertheless, it led to some voodoo practices taking on aspects of Catholicism via a process called syncretism. The use of altars and candles became common in Haitian voodoo to disguise the nature of the rituals, while some Catholic saints were re-imagined as voodoo loa (spirits). As such, the modern day voodoo practiced in Haiti has developed an aesthetic of its own. Frequently portrayed in the West through imagery of death, darkness and, at its most erroneous, even Satanism, Haitian voodoo remains an often misrepresented and misunderstood religion. The French photographer Corentin Fohlen has developed a close relationship to Haiti and its inhabitants. Shown here, his latest series, The Voodoo Child, sheds a new and unclichéd light on both the cultural and religious elements of voodoo. Excerpts from Corentin talks about his experiences in Haiti and how he went about shooting this excellent body of work to Leica’s official magazine.

When did you first pick up a camera?

I received my first camera at the age of 11 from my uncle. It was an automatic camera, very simple and rather low quality. My first serious camera was a reflex when I started to learn more about photography during my college years.

How did your passion for photography develop?