Vodou

While the Haitian musical tradition is probably best known for the Vodou-inspired roots music that helped topple the two-generation Duvalier dictatorship, the nation’s troubled history of civil unrest and its tangled relationship with the United States is more intensely experienced through its art music, which combines French and German elements of classical music with Haiti's indigenous folk music. Vodou Nation examines art music by Haitian and African American composers who were inspired by Haiti’s history as a nation created by slave revolt. Around the time of the United States’s occupation of Haiti in 1915, African American composers began to incorporate Vodou-inspired musical idioms to showcase black artistry and protest white oppression. Together with Haitian musicians, these composers helped create what Michael Largey calls the “Vodou Nation,” an ideal vision of Haiti that championed its African-based culture as a bulwark against America’s imperialism. Highlighting the contributions of many Haitian and African American composers who wrote music that brought rhythms and melodies of the Vodou ceremony to local and international audiences, Vodou Nation sheds light on a black cosmopolitan musical tradition that was deeply rooted in Haitian culture and politics.

Haitian Vodou is a fascinating spiritual tradition rich with ceremonies and magic, songs and prayers, dances and fellowship. Yet outside of Haiti, next to no one understands this joyous and profound way of life. ln Haitian Vodou, Mambo Chita Tann explores the historical roots and contemporary practices of this unique tradition, including discussions of: Customs, beliefs, sacred spaces, and ritual objects Characteristics and behaviors of the Lwa, the spirits served by Vodou practitioners Common misconceptions such as "voodoo dolls" and the zombie phenomenon Questions and answers for attending ceremonies and getting involved in a sosyete (Vodou house) Correspondence tables, Kreyol glossary, supplemental prayer texts, and an extensive list of reference books and online resources Well-researched, comprehensive, and engaging, Haitian Vodou will be a welcome addition for people new to Haitian spirituality as well as for students, practitioners, and academics.

A work of intellectual weaving and braiding. A series of reflections on ritual, drama, profane, culture, theory and practice and their connections to Haitian Vodou.

CROSS THE BRIDGE In this unique synthesis of African-Haitian spirituality, Western religion, Eastern mysticism, and modern science, Dr. Crosley presents Vodou as a metaphysical experience -- a bridge to parallel universes and mystical dimensions, confirmed by the eerie tenets of quantum physics. TAKE THE VODOU QUANTUM LEAP: -- Explore the deep secrets of Vodou, Santeria, and Candomble -- Discover how to become a "Master of Spirits" -- Traverse the strange dimensions of reality that have been revealed by twentieth-century science -- Experience the same rapture found in other major world religions such as Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism If you have previously equated Vodou with witchcraft and idolatry, this guide will reveal the complexity and sophistication of Vodou and African-Haitian spirituality ... cross the bridge.

Once little known outside of Haiti, Vodou flags have become popular commodities in the international art market. Inspired by myths, legends, and unique personal visions, the artists of Vodou flags interweave sacred, time-honored designs with contemporary images as they produce captivating works that are both ancient and modern. 44 full-color photos.

Vodou has often served as a scapegoat for Haiti’s problems, from political upheavals to natural disasters. This tradition of scapegoating stretches back to the nation’s founding and forms part of a contest over the legitimacy of the religion, both beyond and within Haiti’s borders. The Spirits and the Law examines that vexed history, asking why, from 1835 to 1987, Haiti banned many popular ritual practices. To find out, Kate Ramsey begins with the Haitian Revolution and its aftermath. Fearful of an independent black nation inspiring similar revolts, the United States, France, and the rest of Europe ostracized Haiti. Successive Haitian governments, seeking to counter the image of Haiti as primitive as well as contain popular organization and leadership, outlawed “spells” and, later, “superstitious practices.” While not often strictly enforced, these laws were at times the basis for attacks on Vodou by the Haitian state, the Catholic Church, and occupying U.S. forces. Beyond such offensives, Ramsey argues that in prohibiting practices considered essential for maintaining relations with the spirits, anti-Vodou laws reinforced the political marginalization, social stigmatization, and economic exploitation of the Haitian majority. At the same time, she examines the ways communities across Haiti evaded, subverted, redirected, and shaped enforcement of the laws. Analyzing the long genealogy of anti-Vodou rhetoric, Ramsey thoroughly dissects claims that the religion has impeded Haiti’s development.

Pierrot Barra and his wife Marie Cassaise are the most astonishing artists that the author of this fascinating book has encountered in more than a decade of researching Vodou in Haiti. Inspired by dreams and psychic visions of Vodoun divinities, the couples' sculptures combine distant memories of Africa, the imagery of Catholic saints, Masonic regalia, and Hollywood Kitsch. 48 full-color photos.

Vodou is among the most misunderstood and maligned of the world's religions. "Mama Lola" shatters the stereotypes by offering an intimate portrait of Vodou in everyday life. Drawing on a decade-long friendship with Mama Lola, a Vodou priestess, Brown tells tales spanning five generations of Vodou healers in Mama Lola's family. 46 illustrations.