Zombies
The exhibition route
Zombies. The “undead” of Haitian voodoo
Originally, in Africa, in the border area between the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Angola, “zombie” (nzambi) was the word used for the spirit or ghost of someone dead. In Haiti – where the figure of the zombie as it is understood today was born – this word has many meanings – both anthropological and sociological.
The zombie’s roots
The zombie emerged in Haiti in the context of the Atlantic slave trade. It resulted from a blend between magico-religious practices from sub-Saharan Africa, Roman Catholicism and knowledge about plants and animals – including expertise in certain poisons – by the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean.
The globalisation of the zombie phenomenon
The zombies of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) were described by the first European travellers as early as the 17th century. Writers used them as a literary figure – before they were replaced by entities “closer” to western culture (vampires, ghosts, and mummies).
Partners
