“My dad did come here yearly like I come here. I do remember that my mother get mad at him because on Easter Sunday, he was not there to eat with us because he was here. but in another way, I call that hypocrite because I remember I used to clean those twin symbols with my mother," says Betty Vaval, a Vodouizant and member of the Lakou Souvenance.
The twin symbol she’s referring to represents dambala, one of the many spirits revered by Vodouizants. Like Vaval’s mother, many Haitians practice Vodou in secret because of the negative stereotypes associated with the religion. Vodou has been blamed for almost all of Haiti’s problems: from earthquakes to instability to poverty.
“The catholic church made them believe that Vodou is evil, but no, Vodou is not evil. Vodou is not evil. so this is why we really make it public. we make it public. we make people know what Vodou is about...you might have a knife. you decide to use it in cooking and some people might have a knife and decide to hurt people with it. this is what it is.”
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