Tonton Macoute — Vodou-linked state terror (Duvalier)

Cited record

Sources

Wikipedia (2024) 'Tonton Macoute', Wikipedia. Available at: en.wikipedia.org (Accessed: 29 June 2024). [archived copy]

'The Tonton Macoute (Haitian Creole: Tonton Makout) or simply the Macoute, was a Haitian paramilitary and secret police force created in 1959 by dictator François 'Papa Doc' Duvalier... Duvalier authorized the Tontons Macoutes to commit systematic violence, terrorism, and human rights abuses to suppress political opposition. They were responsible for unknown numbers of murders and rapes in Haiti. The Tontons Macoutes murdered between 30,000 and 60,000 Haitians... The Tonton Macoute were strongly influenced by Vodou tradition and adopted denim uniforms resembling clothing like that of Azaka Medeh, the patron of farmers. They carried and used machetes in symbolic reference to Ogun, a great general in Vodou tradition. Some of the most important members of the Tontons Macoute were Vodou leaders. This religious affiliation gave the Tontons Macoute a kind of unearthly authority in the eyes of the public.'

Williams, D. (1986) 'After Duvalier: Haiti: A Scary Time for Voodoo', Los Angeles Times. Available at: latimes.com (Accessed: 29 June 2024). [archived copy]

'Although voodoo practitioners have won some credit for supporting demonstrations against the dictatorship, voodoo is also under attack for its connections with the Duvalier family, particularly the ousted president's father, the late President Francois (Papa Doc) Duvalier. Vigilante campaigns against Duvalier officials and associates have spilled over into assaults on voodoo priests who in one way or another were linked to the regime... Reasons for the attacks vary. Occasionally, ties to the Duvalier government are clear, for some priests doubled as members of the Tontons Macoutes, Duvalier's feared network of armed enforcers and spies. In other cases, the motivation was personal vengeance, often based on belief in the occult power of voodoo to do harm. A northern farmer complained that a sorcerer brought a relative back from the dead and turned him into a zombie doomed to eternal bondage under the priest... Voodoo came to be linked with the repression that characterized [Duvalier's] regime. The first chief of his private militia was a sorcerer from Gonaives. Duvalier once ordered the head of a rival cut off and shipped to the palace, where Duvalier is said to have 'chatted' with the victim's spirit.'

reference work · historical context Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Tonton Macoute.”

Britannica documents the paramilitary force created under François Duvalier, its use of Vodou-derived imagery and names, and its role in political intimidation, violence, and killings.