Is African Spirituality Unhygienic ?

A recent commenter came onto our page, ReVodution: Voodoo Education, criticizing African spirituality, specifically my practice of Vodu, as being “unclean” saying:

“When you have a tradition like this that looks unhealthy or unhygienic you don’t expect people to practice. You post pics of shrines that looks unsightly or for lack of better word “nasty”. ”

It is clear that this person does not know much about Vodu practice to hold such view. Let me share share three reasons why I don’t think African spiritual practices or Vodu is unclean based on my experience as a third-generation Vodu priest.

Firstly, most Vodus require blood sacrifices to empower themselves so, over time, it is natural that their shrines will appear black after the blood has dried. This does not make them “dirty” but in fact more powerful since blood is like the battery that allows them to work. You might not know this but most shrines, despite their black appearance, are cleaned almost on a daily basis and are, therefore, clean. They are just not bloodless. (To understand Vodu blood sacrifice, you can watch a short interview I did below)