International Reporting

Views on Vodou – Final Draft

All to Jesus

I surrender

All to him I freely give

It is this Christian hymn that closes the evening at the Edmeade family’s home on a Wednesday night. Their living room is packed with church members consoling the family in their time of sadness. The eldest of the household, Alice Mucius, passed away from a stroke at 86. To Emily Edmeade, age 18,  her grandmother taught her everything she knew, not only about Jesus, but also to be wary of what would stray a person away from the word of God.

Bad friends, alcohol, drugs, and more were what were commonplace, but for Mucius, a devout Christian, what to really be careful of was witches and demons.

“Growing up in Haiti,” Edmeade said. “My grandmother and every other devout protestant christian was taught to be wary of vodou. She called it devil worship.”

The narrative that vodou is devil worship is a common belief among many Haitians, in Haiti, and abroad. Carrington Francois, a Haitian-American, says, “I know vodou ain’t nothin’ to mess with.”

Even those who are not Haitian have this view of vodou. Dasha Martinez, despite having family living on the other half of Hispaniola with Haiti, the Dominican Republic, knows very little about Haitian culture or vodou. Martinez, although, does recall stories of her grandmother practicing rituals that are apart of the the vodou tradition.

Back in the Dominican Republic, where Martinez’ grandmother practiced vodou, she struck terror into those in the neighborhood. “My grandmother was a witch,” Martinez says. “There was a man in the town who thought the whole vodou thing was nonsense. He did something to her chickens – possibly poisoned them – causing them to die.”

“With the dead chickens, sprinkled the blood all over his farm land and hung the chickens on bushes and trees.”

Then, with an incantation she cursed the land. Martinez says that the man had no crops for a year, but he never properly recovered after that.

“I didn’t view my grandmother as an evil person, but somehow I always thought what she was doing was evil,” Martinez says.

Other than the story Martinez has of her grandmother, her understanding of Vodou is lacking, as it is with many others.

What many, Haitians and others alike, don’t know is that Vodou is not devil worshipping. In fact, vodouists believe in one god, making it a monotheistic religion, similar to popular religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The only difference is their “God is distant. He’s unreachable. And so, that God communicates to us through what they refer to as the Lwa (Loo-wa). They’re sorta partly saints, partly spirits. These Lwas form a relationship with the vodouists. They become, essentially the same kind of relationship that many Catholics have with their saints,” says Reza Aslan, the host of the TV series focusing on religions called, Believer.

When asked about Vodou many minds jump to vodou dolls, zombies, spirits, and ritualistic killing, and some think of devil worshipping, but most of those understandings of Vodou are just from media and also history. The main reason Vodou is demonified is through history, and it is through media that the view persists.

Aslan states that “modern Haitian history begins in 1791 when a group of Vodouist slaves came together and made a vow to each other and the Lwa to fight for their liberation. That moment launched the only successful slave revolt in history.” It is this vow that causes strife between Haitians today. While vodouists see that moment as the birth of Haiti, many devout Christians, especially protestants believe that Haiti is in such a terrible state because the country had sold itself to the devil.

“Those Christians are probably right,” says Edouard Canegitta, 62, a native of Haiti. “Most of them were vodouists that converted to protestantism, so they should know what they’re talking about.”

But younger, and American raised Edmeade and Francois have different views.

“That’s kinda a cop out to blame everything on vodou,” says Edmeade. “Gotta be realistic. I don’t agree that vodou is the reason for all their problems. There are more aspects of history that contribute.”

Francois agrees, saying, “I feel that placing their blame on vodou gives them clarity in the sense that they have something to target, but history has shown that there are way more realistic, and quite frankly depressing, reasons why Haiti is how it is.”

As for media, both Francois and Edmeade recall the time when rapper Azalia Banks, who claims to be a vodouist, posted on twitter about her sacrificing chickens in her closet, causing an uproar not only in the religious community but also in the animal rights community. Martinez recalls an episode of Criminal Minds where a murderer was using vodou to kill people in a sacrificial manner. Other shows like Supernatural are also known to put vodou in a bad light.

Dasha Martinez watches “Irony” by the “Wonder Girls” that involves a girl using a voodoo doll to control her ex-boyfriend.

“Vodou is usually portrayed negatively in the media,” says Martinez. “It’s always mentioned in relation to witches or other evil supernatural things. Media takes stereotypes and expand on them. It skews perception of reality so others can easily consume content. That is how cultural ignorance persists even among those who try not to be ignorant.”

“It’s the mob mentality of today’s society along with the media,” said Francois. “It causes people to agree with the pretenses of other without actually taking time to research themselves.”

But when it comes to actually removing the negative stigma of vodou, Francois is unsure.

“Do I wish it wasn’t used as an insult to my culture and people?” Francois said. “Yeah, and I’d personally love to see that stigma removed but to be painfully honest, no one will care enough anyway, and these things have been branded into their minds for years, so that won’t change.”

 

UN- A Conversation about Afghanistan

On Thursday April 13th, 2017 the United States of America dropped the Mother of all Bombs in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. The 22,000 pound bomb is the largest non-atomic bomb ever dropped. The bomb was meant to hit an area where it is said to be taken over by members of ISIS, although it failed to hit the Islamic State stronghold in the mountains of the Achin district. President Trump says that he gave the US military total authorization and is pleased with the results. The US has yet to release the number of casualties caused by the massive bomb, despite the many attempts made. Furthermore, according to Zabihullah Zmarai, the American military are preventing Afghan forces as well as citizens to visit from visiting the bombed area.
Noon, on April 24th, 2017, the United Nations press conference took place with Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General was answering questions. When asked if there was any update on exactly what was happening at this point Dujarric replied, “It was a tragic and horrendous attack on Afghan National Army soldiers. We have no investigation into the issue. We were not there. All we see is the tragedy that this attack sowed on these soldiers.” While the current president of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani’s office says the US attack was a joint operation between Afghan and international troops however in a series of tweets former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai is deeply disappointed stating, “This is not the war on terror but the inhuman and most brutal misuse of our country as testing grounds for new and dangerous weapons. It is up to us Afghans to stop the USA.”
Many feel that the $300 million dollar bomb that was dropped will not even begin to solve the issues with terrorists in Afghanistan as it hasn’t even scratched the surface of the issue. Feroz Mohmand, former press officer to Hamid Karzai tweeted,

Dujarric was unable to answer questions pertaining to the United Nations involvement on this matter.


Marina Kpop Reaching for the World

As the lights in the venue dimmed the screams from the fans only became louder. The stage was lit only enough to see the seven situates that the thousands of fans that had gathered at the Prudential Center recognized as the Bangtan Boys, better known as BTS.

As the curtains raised and the seven men were revealed the fans only scream louder, cheering them on as they began to sing the first of almost 30 songs.

The fans had been waiting for hours, and they were not going to stop cheering for the next two hours that the concert lasted.

BTS is a Korean pop group (K-pop) in a world of many others, but their international fan base is thought to be one of the biggest in the industry. Thousands of fans from across the country and even outside, showed up to support the group for their Western leg of their world tour, selling approximately 60,000 tickets, according to BigHit Entertaininment, BTS’ managing company.

In Newark, NJ some of the fans had been waiting at the venue since the early morning, even setting up tents and staying overnight to make sure to be as close to the stage as possible.

“Their talent is unreal” said Rachel Spetz, 21, who had been waiting on the venue line since 8 AM, “Performing that choreography with said song every time it’s performed. To me it’s amazing, they need athleticism, they need coordination, they need to strengthen their lungs, it’s just everything.” Spetz has been a fan of kpop for six years, and of BTS since their debut in 2013.

As with all other kpop groups BTS do not only sing, they also dance and interact with fans. Outside the stage kpop idols also attend talk shows, act in soap operas, attend fan meetings, and keep up with their music careers.

While most kpop groups’ popularity thrives mainly in South Korea, BTS has reached international charts with their last two releases ‘Wings’ and ‘You Never Walk Alone’, which made it to rank 61 and 26 respectively in the Billboard 200 chart.  They’ve had two world tours which included the United States, both of which have sold out in under a day.

“BTS is not turning into mainstream music in America,” commented Rei Tran, 22, who went to New Jersey from California to attend the concert “They have their own style. Which is really choreographed.”

In the next two weeks BTS will finish their world tour in America and take a break before completing their tour completely  in Asia and spreading the next generation of kpop across the world.

Arranged Marriage, Arranged Life

Most young adults in their early 20s are trying to find themselves, graduate college and step into the real world. But for 22-year-old Sabina Uddin, the only child born to Bengali immigrants Abush and Shereen Uddin who live in Ozone Park, the thought of graduating in two months gives her little to no excitement. Her parents, instead, are the excited ones, having arranged her marriage against her will.

Sabina Uddin, 22, performs a dance routine at a family wedding, her last performance before her own wedding which was arranged by her parents against her will.

Arranged marriages are a common practice in the Bengali-American community. The parents of prospective brides or grooms set out to find their child’s respective counterparts. The bride is usually chosen for the prospective groom by his family, though sometimes in cases like Uddin’s, a groom may be chosen for the woman. Brides are to be of equal social status and lesser age. In Bengali tradition, when it comes to marriage, it should be a match between the two in financial matters, educational level and religious beliefs. But it does not always work out that way.

Parents often get involved in marriages and are driven by greed. There is an imbalance because a bride’s family who is not as wealthy, will try to marry her into a family where the groom is financially well-off. It is the mentality in the Bengali tradition that the man should be the primary breadwinner and support his woman. Due to this mentality, a prospective bride’s family usually seeks a groom who has a higher education level and has a higher salary than the bride.

In many unfortunate cases, Bengali men living in the United States are forced to marry women back in Bangladesh whose families are not very wealthy. The fact that the man is a U.S. citizen promises enhanced opportunities for the couple in the eyes of the bride’s family.

For Uddin, however, the roles are reversed.

“I don’t even know his name,” she said “All I know is that he barely has an education. He works in a farm and his family is poor and this marriage is supposed to get him access to citizenship in this country so he can provide for his family back home and eventually bring them here too.”  Uddin’s parents are aware of the prospective groom’s financial and social status, but they see the marriage as a way of keeping the tradition alive of marrying within the race and religion, and getting people back in their homeland out of poverty by bringing them to the United States.

In Bengali culture, marriage is more of a civil contract than a religious sacrament in Islam.

“Being married in the Bengali community really means the interests of the families involved are more important rather than the two people who are supposed to spend the rest of their lives together,” said Uddin, going on to explain that the bride’s worth is acknowledged when she gives birth—but only if the newborn is a boy.

“Bengali women are taught to act shy around men and their elders. It is engraved in their minds that their job is to cook, clean the house and serve their husbands,” said Uddin. “Marrying this guy will turn me into the typical stereotypical Bengali woman, and since I was old enough to understand the degrading role of women in this culture, I knew I wanted to break away from that stereotype.”

While arranged marriages are still the predominant custom in Bangladesh, this practice is slowly changing in the United States, where dating and individual choices are becoming slightly acceptable.

“Recently there have been more and more couples who are both from Bangladesh who are getting married by their own choice of partner,” said Rashiq Gulshang, an imam who lives in Ozone Park, where the community is predominantly Bengali-American.

“But I have yet to see a couple where one person is not Bengali or Muslim. It has been a belief for so long that you should only marry within Islam and with someone who is from Bangladesh. It may be okay for people from other countries and religions to marry outside of their race and religion but in Islam it really is not.”

“I have so many Bengali friends and cousins who are dating people who are not Muslim or from Bangladesh and they have to hide it from their parents and families,” Uddin said.

Many young Bengalis hide their dating life from their families out of fear of disapproval from their families. The promise of a future becomes an issue for couples when one of them is Bengali as they face cultural and societal barriers.

“I know so many couples who dated for years and suddenly broke up because the Bengali guy or girl wasn’t ready to tell his or her parents about their non-brown boyfriend or girlfriend. It was like, damn, it’s so sad that race and religion seem to dominate love because of how old-fashioned our parents are,” Uddin said.

Although Gulshang does not necessarily support marriage outside of Islam, he believes that this generation of young adults will break the mold and change the culture of marriage in the Bengali-American culture.

“The generation that forces arranged marriages is getting old and the newer generations are starting to take over,” he said. “I already see a change in some aspects of the Bengali culture and I won’t be surprised if one day I am asked to marry two young adults where one of them does not rely his or her faith in Islam.”

 

Anne Applebaum Speaks About The End of The West at the CUNY Graduate Center

By Anne Ehart

On Monday, April 3, seats at the Elebash Recital Hall at the CUNY Graduate Center were filled to discuss the question: Is This the End of The West?

Speaker for the event, Pulitzer prize winning author Anne Applebaum, focuses her writing on the state of western political affairs, and currently writes a biweekly foreign affairs column for the Washington Post.

Hosted by the European Union Studies Center at the CUNY Graduate Center, Applebaum was brought to present her views on the future of Western politics and how Russia’s influence is leading to its demise.

Last March, in a Post article titled “Is This the End of the West as We Know It?” Applebaum said “we are two or three bad elections away from the end of NATO, the end of the European Union and maybe the end of the liberal world order as we know it.”

In this discussion just over a year later, Applebaum said we have had those two or three bad elections.

Applebaum described president Donald Trump as “totally uninterested in the West as an idea” as all of his presidential predecessors have valued. Presidents democratic and republican have at least had in common something that is inherently American: the upholding of the western political system.

One of Applebaum’s recent articles cites that Trump has said that he “would not care that much” if Ukraine were admitted to NATO and that European conflicts are not worth American lives, and pulling back from Europe would save millions of dollars annually.

Applebaum’s talk outlined four factors that are contributing to the decline of the EU, NATO, and the West as we know it. These were the Information Age, immigration, economics, and globalization.

Applebaum noted that Russia knows how to use the Information Age to its advantage. Leaking information about an opposing candidate at just the right time, or spreading rumors of false information. For example, the rumor about the Syrian refugee raping a child in Idaho.

A far-right candidate taking office and suspicions of Russia meddling with the election is not only happening in the U.S. French presidential candidate Marie Le Pen of the “far-right” National Front is receiving campaign funding from Russia. Applebaum referred to Le Pen’s campaign as “Make France Great Again.”

Applebaum believes that part of what lead to Trump’s election to office is a “desire for some sort of revolutionary energy” after “eight years of a calm and controlled presidency.” Applebaum cited George Orwell’s review of Hitler’s Mein Kampf, which said that people want struggle in government, they are simply not happy with having all their necessities.

There is a feeling of nostalgia among people who are voting for these far-right candidates, thinking “wouldn’t it be great if…” we could go back to a point in time where government was less involved with other countries.

Despite the severity of the matter and the real possibility of a collapsing West, Applebaum still made the occasional joke with the audience, for example the factually incorrect Shakespeare memes her teenage son sees on the Internet.

Following the 30-minute discussion, audience members were welcomed to ask questions. One audience member asked about how deep Russia’s corruption goes. Once Putin is dead or no longer in power, will Russia’s mission carry on?

Applebaum responded that it is not just Putin, that it is a very important part of the Russian foreign and economic policy and is quite deeply rooted.

Casa Adela Final Draft #2

Casa Adela, Alphabet City, Manhattan By Peter Rodriguez

Casa Adela has been a staple for some of the best authentic Puerto Rican cuisine since opening its doors in the 1970’s. While the restaurant has undergone some aesthetic renovations over the years the quality of food and family atmosphere has remained the same. “I’ve been coming here for a while now after work and some things have changed but the food has always been great” said one loyal patron, Eric Ramirez, 34.

A tribute to owner, Adela Fargas 

You could usually find owner, Adela Fargas,81 busy in the kitchen cooking some of her signature dishes from Puerto Rico including Pernil Asado (Roast Pork) and Carne Guisada (Beef Stew). When asked if she could describe her restaurant in one word she briefly replied “home” as she continued to prepare her traditional chicken for service.

Casa Adela’s Famous 1/2 Rotisserie Chicken

Perhaps the most well regarded is the 1/2 rotisserie chicken seasoned with a safely guarded special blend. This is the aroma you first encounter once you enter.

Signature side of  rice and beans

The classic combo of Spanish style yellow rice and black beans served with your choice of entree.

Maduros (sweet plantains)

Maduros, traditional Puerto Rican cuisine.

Chuletas Fritas

Fried Pork chops, served with a wedge of lemon (for flavor). Crispy on the outside while remaining tender on the inside.

What the restaurant lack in terms of size and payment options (cash only) it makes up for it hospitality.The vibe Casa Adela strives for is the comfort one might feel in their own Abuela’s kitchen. The t.v is constantly on Telemundo as authentic Puerto Rican cuisine arrives on your table.

Views Of Vodou

All to Jesus

I surrender

All to him I freely give

 

It is this Christian hymn that closes the evening at the Edmeade family’s home on a Wednesday night. Their living room is packed with church members consoling the family in their time of sadness. The eldest of the household, Alice Miscius, passed away from a stroke at 86. To Emily Edmeade, age 18,  her grandmother taught her everything she knew, not only about Jesus, but also to be wary of what would stray a person away from the word of God.

 

Bad friends, alcohol, drugs, and more were what were commonplace, but for Miscius a devout Christian, what to really be careful of was witches and demons.

 

“Growing up in Haiti,” Edmeade said, “my grandmother and every other devout protestant christian was taught to be wary of vodou. She called it devil worship.”

 

The narrative that vodou is devil worship is a common belief among many Haitians, in Haiti, and abroad. Carrington Francois, a Haitian-American, says, “I know vodou ain’t nothin’ to mess with.”

 

Even those who are not Haitian have this view of vodou. Dasha Martinez, despite having family living on the other half of Hispaniola with Haiti, the Dominican Republic, knows very little about Haitian culture or vodou. Martinez, although, does recall stories of her grandmother practicing rituals that are apart of the the vodou tradition.

 

Her grandmother practiced the religion, back in the Dominican Republic, and everyone in their town was afraid of her. “My grandmother was a witch,” Martinez says. “There was a man in the town who thought the whole voodoo thing was nonsense. He tried to steal her chickens and she punished him.”

 

“She killed some of her chickens, sprinkled the blood all over his farm land and hung the chickens on bushes and trees.”

 

Then, she cursed his land. Martinez says that the man had no crops for 10 years.

 

“I didn’t view my grandmother as an evil person, but somehow I always thought what she was doing was evil,” Martinez says.

 

Other than the story Martinez has of her grandmother, her understanding of Vodou is lacking, as it is with many others.

 

What many, Haitians and others alike, don’t know is that Vodou is inherently Christian. Brought over by slaves from Africa coming into the island of Hispaniola, Vodou fundamentally is a monotheistic religion, a belief in one god, “but that God is distant. He’s unreachable. And so, that God communicates to us through what they refer to as the Lwa. They’re sorta partly saints, partly spirits. These Lwas form a relationship with the vodouists. They become, essentially the same kind of relationship that many Catholics have with their saints,” says Reza Aslan, the host of the TV series focusing on religions called, Believer.

 

When asked about Vodou many minds jump to vodou dolls, zombies, spirits, and ritualistic killing, and some think of devil worshipping, but most of those understandings of Vodou are just from media and also history. The main reason Vodou is demonified is through history, and it is through media that the view persists.

 

Aslan states that “modern Haitian history begins in 1791 when a group of Vodouist slaves came together and made a vow to each other and the Lwa to fight for their liberation. That moment launched the only successful slave revolt in history.” It is this vow that causes strife between Haitians today. While vodouists see that moment as the birth of Haiti, many devout Christians, especially protestants believe that Haiti is in such a terrible state because the country had sold itself to the devil.

 

“Those Christians are probably right,” says Edouard Canegitta, 62, a native of Haiti. “Most of them were vodouists that converted to protestantism, so they should know what they’re talking about.”

 

But younger, and American raised Edmeade and Francois have different views.

 

“That’s kinda a cop out to blame everything on vodou,” says Edmeade. “Gotta be realistic. I don’t agree that voodoo is the reason for all their problems. There are more aspects of history that contribute.”

 

Francois agrees, saying, “ I feel that placing their blame on vodou gives them clarity in the sense that they have something to target, but history has shown that there are way more realistic, and quite frankly depressing, reasons why Haiti is how it is.”

 

As for media, both Francois and Edmeade recall the time when rapper Azalia Banks, who claims to be a vodouist, posted on twitter about her sacrificing chickens in her closet, causing an uproar not only in the religious community but also in the animal rights community. Martinez recalls an episode of Criminal Minds where a murderer was using vodou to kill people in a sacrificial manner. Other shows like Supernatural are also known to put vodou in a bad light.

 

“Voodoo is usually portrayed negatively in the media,” says Martinez. “It’s always mentioned in relation to witches or other evil supernatural things. Media takes stereotypes and expand on them. It skews perception of reality so others can easily consume content. That is how cultural ignorance persists even among those who try not to be ignorant.””

Dasha Martinez watches “Irony” by the “Wonder Girls.” A music video that involves a girl using a voodoo doll to control her ex-boyfriend.

 

“It’s the mob mentality of today’s society along with the media,” said Francois. “It causes people to agree with the pretenses of other without actually taking time to research themselves.”

 

But when it comes to actually removing the negative stigma of vodou, Francois is unsure.

 

“Do I wish it wasn’t used as an insult to my culture and people?” Francois said. “Yeah, and I’d personally love to see that stigma removed but to be painfully honest no one will care enough anyway, and these things have been branded into their minds for years so that won’t change.”

The Lost Filipino Church Final Junior Martinez

San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel , Soho, Manhattan By Junior Martinez 

Amidst all the commercial stores and restaurants in the Manhattan neighborhood of SoHo, New York City, many New Yorkers do not know about one of the oldest Roman Catholic Church devoted to the Filipino community. Located at 378 Broome Street between Mulberry and Mott Streets, San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel was established in 1926 as The Church of the Most Holy Crucifix. At that time it was for the Italian community, as the church is close to Little Italy.

The Church of the Most Holy Crucifix closed down in 2005 and the Archdiocese of New York renovated it and renamed it as the San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel “Church of Filipinos” by Archbishop Edward Cardinal Egan on June 2005.

Saint Lorenzo Ruiz is a Filipino saint; His canonization took place at the Vatican on October 18, 1987 by Pope John Paul II. Many Filipinos come to a special mass celebrating Saint Lorenzo Ruiz canonization every September at the chapel, but it has changed, The Feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz, has moved to Saint Patrick’s because there is more capacity.

“The Chapel is beautiful, but is not in a Filipino community and is far,” said Mark Mendoza, 34, who live in Woodside, Queens. In a neighborhood have the most Filipinos in New York City. Mendoza travels to the church every other Sunday because he feels like he is at home in Davo. He said his local church at Woodside, is more dedicated to the Filipinos as they have mass in Tagalog.

The Mass Schedule in San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel only offers Wednesday night, Sunday morning and afternoon. The rest of the week is closed. It has a capacity of only 250 people. Going to a Sunday mass approximately only 50 people come to mass and mostly are not Filipino. Most of the churchgoers are from the neighborhood of Little Italy and Chinatown.

“Even though the church is dedicated for the people of the Philippines that live in the tri-state area, I love coming here. It is really peaceful, and the church is always with open arms,” said Maxie Brown 45, from the Lower East Side.

Paul Costiglio from the department of the Archdiocese of New York Communications and Marketing said, “The Archdiocese of New York is working with the Filipino Apostolate to work the modest following problem,” but also stated “ The Church is not only for Filipinos, but for all New Yorkers,”

Class Agenda – Wednesday, April 19

Announcements:

This week, Thursday follows a Monday schedule, meaning that we have class tomorrow.

Next Wednesday, April 26, this event is happening during our class time, and we’ll be attending instead of having class as usual. If you can’t get there right when it starts (5:30), that’s fine; just enter quietly when you arrive. It should wrap up somewhere around 7:15 or 7:30.

If you’re 21+ and interested, this very cool event is also happening next week at the Brooklyn Brewery:

Discussion:

Pitch workshop

 

Timeline/due dates for final story:

For details on requirements for this final assignment, please refer to my previous post.

We will be having an in-class editing/production day on Monday, May 1 so that you can work on the multimedia elements of the assignment with my assistance and feedback. If you are comfortable editing at home and have the necessary software, or your time would be better spent doing additional reporting, your presence is not required in class.

The rough draft of story #3 is due two weeks from today: Wednesday, May 3.

We will be having an in-class editing/production day on Monday, May 15, so you can make any last-minute edits with my assistance and feedback. If you are comfortable editing at home and have the necessary software, or your time would be better spent doing additional reporting, your presence is not required in class.

The final draft of story #3 is due on our last day of class, which is Wednesday, May 17.