Vodun is very often confused with Bo' and the general perception of today is based on a perception of Bò. (Wikipedia)
The occult science of Bò is not Vodun, although it often summons spirits issued from the Vodun pantheon in its process. (Wikipedia)
On top of highly Vodun-like worship, the Baba movement has other traits. Rank inside the movement is based on your degree of 'specialness' that is in turn determined by how well you knew another 'special' person. Specialness usually, but not always, traces back to some contact with Baba. However, money or prestige can serve as a substitute.
Finally, besides the strong Vodun influences, and the 'specialness tree,' the Baba followers appeal to highly liberal concepts about society from the 60s.
The eschatology of the Baba movement is striking for its simplicity. Three-quarters of the world's population are going to die. No date for this highly anticipated event is given, but it is understood that this death-event marks the time of the start of the golden or better times. The Baba followers say that after a period of good times things decay again and the process starts over, apparently with another die-off. With the bad people gone (called "the people of hell") good times naturally commence. The Baba followers identify themselves as "the people of heaven."
Many objects are venerated, and certain people.
The number of Baba followers in the West is about 3000. There are about 10,000 in India, and another several thousand around the world -- mainly Argentina, Iran, and Australia. They mostly keep to themselves in small clan-like groups, and their children are encouraged to "make their own mistakes" when they reach adolescence.
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| A group of 'Baba followers' (from Wikimedia Commons) |
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