Image by UNICEF Belgium (source: Flickr)

At least 15 people where killed over the past two weeks in Haiti. They didn’t die from the cholera epidemic or any other disease, at least not directly. All of them where lynched and their bodies burned in the Southwestern province of Grand’Anse after being accused of propagating cholera with black magic. Fear, ignorance and confusion over the fast-spreading cholera epidemic lay at the basis of this violent witch-hunt.

In a little less than 6 weeks, more than 1.800 people have died from cholera and more than 84.000 people are currently infected. In the province of Grand’Anse the first case of cholera was confirmed last week. Immediately after that rumors about black magic and voodoo-priests using magic powder to spread the infection started going around.

Voodoo is very popular in Haiti. Haitian Voodoo is a religion based upon a merging of the beliefs and practices of West African, with Arawakian religious beliefs, and Roman Catholic Christianity. According to the Wikipedia page, Voodoo was created by African slaves who were brought to Haiti in the 16th century and still followed their traditional African beliefs, but were forced to convert to the religion of their slavers.

Image by UNICEF Belgium (source: Flickr). Click here for more pictures by UNICEF.

Although the government has started an information campaign about the causes of cholera and the hygienic precautions that need to be taken to avoid it, uncertainty about the roots of the epidemic in Haiti only make disbelief grow amongst the rural population.