The last time we were in Haiti, we spent some time in the southern city of Jacmel, as seen in previous posts. One afternoon, coming back from the beach, I spotted this sign on the side of the road, and immediately asked my husband to stop and turn around.
Anyone interested in Haiti knows that Vodou is omnipresent. Yet, it is also very secret, and shrouded in mystery. One routinely hears drums rumbling through the night and voices singing as a Vodou ceremony is performed somewhere in the vicinity. This is something I still hope I can witness some day, so I couldn't possibly pass by that sign openly advertising a Vodou temple without trying to find it. I was curious to see not only what it looked like, but mostly to feel the energy, there.
Except that the sign must have been for the initiates. We spent over an hour driving around, asking everyone we saw (and I don't mean me, the "blan" as Haitians call all foreigners - whether they are white or black, by the way - but my very Haitian and Creole-speaking husband.) People either sent us down roads leading nowhere, or stared blankly and shrugged, as if they'd never heard of a Vodou peristyle in the area.
Needless to say, we never found it. We had to leave Jacmel soon after that, so we didn't have time to further investigate. But I often think about it. Next time...
Seven weeks since the earthquake.
1 comment:
she's a mambo for blancs and has a huge following in europe and america.
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