12 January 2010 earthquake, Culture, Haitian history, January 12 2010 Earthquake, News, Paganicon 2017, Thoughts about Vodou, Vodou

Nou la (we’re here)

January 12, 2017 By andezo

I don’t use this blog nearly enough. This year, I hope to change that. If there are specific topics that you might be interested in me posting about, please contact me (andezo at gmail dot com) and let me know! I’m collecting ideas to make this a much more regular space. Social media, which is useful for short-term and breaking news, is becoming increasingly less useful for talking about bigger subjects, and it’s time to return to the long form.

Today marks seven years from the major earthquake that killed many people in Haiti, including some of my own family members. Time continues its march forward. Some things change, some things don’t change. Haiti has (yet another) new president, but no less controversy. The US continues to meddle in Haitian affairs. The UN, which suddenly issued an apology for its causing the cholera epidemic post-earthquake (but most likely only because the outgoing secretary is thinking about a presidential run in Korea and wants to look good), sent more peacekeepers to the country this week, but didn’t bother to vaccinate them against cholera until a public outcry was made – and now only they are treated. (Nothing at all has been done for the Haitians who live where they are).

It’s heartbreaking and frustrating and rage-inducing to know what’s going on in Haiti (to be fair, we’ve got those feelings about places outside Haiti currently as well, don’t we?). It becomes a serious effort to stay focused and not let it get you into a pit of despair and anger that does nothing at all except feed on itself.

But that effort is important. It is perhaps even more important when the stakes are this high. Stay informed. Read from many sources. Check your sources. Check them again. Learn about what’s going on behind the clickbait and the headlines. Get out of your comfort zone. To borrow a phrase from the justice movements in the US: stay woke. Remind yourself and your world: we’re here. We’re not going anywhere. We will continue. Strength makes them see.

PS: I’ll be appearing at Paganicon 2017, and am also one of the sponsors of the Pagans of Color & Allies suite that will be open during the event. We’ll have Vodou programming among many other things. Join us if you can.

Culture, Interviews, Links, News, Paganicon 2016, Thoughts about Vodou, Vodou

Paganicon 2016 Interview

March 2, 2016 By andezo

Nels at Pagan Newswire Collective Minnesota interviewed me last week, in advance of my appearance as one of the guests of honor at Paganicon in Minneapolis, March 18-20, 2016.

It was a long but very positive conversation. We got to talk about Vodou, what brought me to it, and how I think Haitian Vodou is the most valuable Western Hemispheric spiritual experience for many reasons other than why one might want to practice it. We also chatted about cultural relations, the problems and challenges of appropriation and privilege in such relations, religious experiences in a multicultural society, how activism and religious practice are and aren’t related, and other deep subjects. I enjoyed the interview thoroughly – it’s not often I get to talk about all those things at once! – and hope that you will enjoy reading it.

You can read a transcript of our discussion at the PNC website. I’m looking forward to meeting many new people and having a good experience at the convention. Hope to see you there!