1987 Constitution repeals the 1935 anti-"superstition" decree; 2003 decree recognizes Vodou (Haiti, 1987 and April 2003)
Record: the document says itPattern: documents line upLens: our readingOpen: not yet proven
Year: 1935 · Places: Ayiti
SUMMARY1987 Constitution repeals the 1935 anti-"superstition" decree; 2003 decree recognizes Vodou (Haiti, 1987 and April 2003) [Connections: Ayiti spirit, first-person, Nov 5, 2026]
RECORDArticle 30: "All religions and faiths shall be freely exercised." Article 297 declares decrees limiting basic rights repealed, naming "The decree law of September 5, 1935 on superstitious beliefs." In April 2003 President Jean-Bertrand Aristide issued a decree recognizing Vodou "as a religion on a par with others," so its ceremonies such as marriages have equal standing (BBC, April 30, 2003, via Pluralism Project); Aristide called it "an essential part of national identity" (ICLRS)
PATTERNAfter 150 years of penal bans (1835–1987), the law of Ayiti returned the people's religion to full standing
LENS (WW9)The paper finally caught up with the ancestors
OPENExact date and number of the 2003 decree (often given as April 4, 2003) not confirmed on a page opened
SOURCEICLRS, Haiti: Law and Religion; Pluralism Project (BBC).